Novel extraction techniques, chemical and mechanical characterisation of Agave americana L. natural fibres

The work describes the manufacturing and tensile static behaviour of natural fibres produced with novel extraction techniques. The fibres are extracted using two new methods, one consisting of immersing the blades of the Agave leaves in water for 10-13 days in a container, and another sustainable extraction process during which the Agave leaves are buried in earth for 90 days. Single fibre tensile tests have been performed at four gauge lengths to assess the effect of the gauge length over the tensile strength and Young's modulus. The results have been analysed through a two-parameter Weibull distribution to quantify the degree of variability in fibre strength and Young's modulus at different gauge lengths for the two extraction methods. Strong sensitivity of the mechanical properties of the fibres has been observed based on the production methods used. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.