Martin  Espitia, Geraldine  Espitia, Nelson  Rodríguez, Dery  Corredor, Henry  Bustos, Alisson  Benavides, Andrés  Muñoz, Richard  Gil Herrera, 
    Physical and Nanomechanical Characterization of Fique Fiber (<i>Furcraea gigantea</i>) by Atomic
Force Microscopy-AFM,
    Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
    Volume 15,Issue 11,
    2020,
    Pages 2452-2456,
    ISSN 1816-949x,
    jeasci.2020.2452.2456,
    (https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=jeasci.2020.2452.2456)
    Abstract: The use of natural fibers as reinforcement of
composite materials has increased in recent decades,
because of its great availability and the fact that it is a
renewable source. For these reasons, it is important to
understand the mechanical behavior of the fibers and
optimize the design of composite materials. To this end,
characterization techniques have been used to determine
the properties of different materials. This paper presents
the results of measurements and calculations of
mechanical properties, namely, Hardness (H) and
modulus of Elasticity (E) of fique fibers (<i>Furcraea
gigantea</i>). For this, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and
nanoindentation tests were used to characterize the
topography, roughness and mechanical behavior of fique
fibers from Popayan, Colombia. The characterization of
images in situ confirmed stacking but not subsidence in
most of the traces, demonstrating a homogeneous
behavior on the fiber surfaces. The stress-displacement
curves showed an average E = 841 GPa and H = 15 MPa,
indicating that the AFM Mode nanoindentation technique
was able to effectively characterize the mechanical
properties of the fique fibers.
    Keywords: Fique fibers;physical and nanomechanical characterization;modulus of elasticity;hardness