Mechanical performances of bamboo composite with different fibre heat treatments

Natural fiber reinforced composites such as bamboo are increasingly used in various applications, ranging from household products to automotive parts. In this study a laminate composite material was developed using woven bamboo as the reinforcing material and epoxy resin as the matrix by hands lay-up method. This research aims to investigate the effect of physical treatment of bamboo fiber on the mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Woven bamboo was treated at different temperatures to produce bamboo fiber with different levels of water content. Drying temperature variations for the fibre treatment used were: 50°C, 100°, 150°, and 200°C. Mechanical tests were performed using ASTM D3039 standards to evaluate the tensile strength and modulus elastisity of composites. The results indicated significant effect fiber drying treatment on the water content within the fiber. Weight of the woven bamboo progressively decreases with increasing of drying temperature. It was found that the mechanical properties of bamboo laminate composite were improved with decreasing of fibre water content. However, lower strength was observed for specimens contain bamboo fibre treated in the drying conditions of 200° C. It may be related to structural changes of the fibre due to high drying temperature. The woven mat significantly changes its colour (become darker) during 200° C of treatment as well as becomes weak and brittle. The result of this study emphasizes the importance control of water content within bamboo fiber to produce the composite possessing acceptable material properties during the service life of application.