Reinforcement of poly(methyl methacrylate) with ultra-high-modulus polyethylene fibre.

A previous study demonstrated that the impact strength of poly(methyl methacrylate) resin can be improved by including randomly distributed 6 mm lengths of untreated ultra-high-modulus polyethylene (UHMPE) fibre. In this study transverse bend and hardness testing of specimens containing 1 or 2 per cent by weight of untreated or plasma-etched UHMPE fibre were carried out, as well as impact testing of specimens containing 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 per cent by weight of plasma-etched UHMPE fibre. Young's modulus and transverse strength were unaffected by the inclusion of fibre, whereas hardness was unaffected at the 1 per cent level but reduced at the 2 per cent level. Impact strength of specimens containing 1 or 2 per cent by weight of plasma-etched UHMPE fibre was not significantly different to that recorded in the previous study of untreated fibre specimens.