Environmental Effects on Strength and Failure Strain Distributions of Sheep Wool Fibers

Abstract

Sheep wool is an eco-friendly, renewable, and totally recyclable material increasingly used in textiles, filters, insulation, and building materials. Recently, wool fibers have become good alternatives for reinforcement of polymer composites and filaments for 3D printing. Wool fibers are susceptible to environmental degradation that could shorten their lifetime and limit applications. This study reports on the mechanical properties of sheep wool fibers under the impact of humid air and UV irradiation. The results of single fiber tensile tests showed a noticeable gauge length effect on the fibers’ strength and failure strain. Long (50 mm) fibers possessed about 40% lower characteristics than short (10 mm) fibers. Environmental aging decreased the elastic modulus and strength of the fibers. Moisture-saturated fibers possessed up to 43% lower characteristics, while UV aging resulted in up to a twofold reduction of the strength. The most severe degradation effect is observed under the coupled influence of UVs and moisture. The two-parameter Weibull distribution was applied for the fiber strength and failure strain statistical assessment. The model well predicted the gauge length effects. Moisture-saturated and UV-aged fibers were characterized by less extensive strength dependences on the fiber length. The strength and failure strain distributions of aged fibers were horizontally shifted to lower values. The results will contribute to be reliable predictions of the environmental durability of sheep wool fibers and will extend their use in technical applications.