In Honor of Nobel Laureate Dr. Avram Hershko
This research summarizes results regarding a vegetable natural fiber from Colombia, produced in the leaves of the fique plant, a species from the genus Furcraea andina. Fique is a strong natural fiber used for centuries for local indigenous peoples in Colombia, and later used for farmers and locals to produce crafts, clothes, shoes, and bags, among other traditional objects. Recently, fique has been used in combination with clays and cements as a construction material, and also as a reinforcement in polymer matrix composite in a strong collaboration between Colombia and Brazil, particularly for ballistic protection and other dynamic applications. Tensile tests and scanning electron microscopy characterization is presented here, with a discussion of possibilities for fique in engineering.
