Tensile properties of elementary fibres of flax and glass: Analysis of reproducibility and scattering

Tensile properties of 13 batches of flax fibres (Marylin variety) grown over 4 years with 4 different climatic conditions were compared with 4 batches of glass fibres. It was found that tensile properties of elementary flax fibres were reproducible despite drought or an excess of water. The values of strength and strain at break of commercial glass fibres were found to be as scattered as the flax fibres ones. It was concluded that flax fibres are suitable to replace glass fibres for composite reinforcement. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.