THERMOPLASTIC RESIN FIBERS FOR THE REINFORCEMENT OF CEMENT

摘要

The invention provides thermoplastic resin fibers for the reinforcement of cement which have permanent hydrophilicity and are therefore excellent in the dispersibility in cement and the physical bonding with cement and which can give cement moldings improved in bending toughness. A thermoplastic resin fiber (particularly polypropylene fiber) according to the invention is produced by subjecting a thermoplastic resin fiber to surface oxidation, applying a surface treatment containing at least one compound selected from among sulfonic acids, polyol complexes, and polycarboxylic acids to the surface-oxidized thermoplastic resin fiber to make the compound adhere to the surface of the fiber in an amount of 0.1 to 5 wt%, and then drying the resulting fiber at 20 to 90°C. The obtained thermoplastic resin fiber has further improved hydrophilicity as compared with the hydrophilicity imparted by the surface oxidation alone and is therefore excellent in the dispersibility in cement and the physical bonding with cement, thus enabling the production of cement moldings excellent in bending toughness and bending tenacity.