The current studies aim to measure the mechanical strength based on age, harvesting season and bamboo species in Ethiopia. The bamboo fibres are extracted using a roll milling machine, which was developed by the author. The age groups (1, 2 and 3 years), harvesting months (February and November), and bamboo species (Yushania alpina and Bambusa oldhamii) are the parameters of the current research studies. Prepregs and composites were produced from bamboo fibres and polypropylene. The mechanical properties of bamboo fibres and their composites in Ethiopia have not been investigated by researchers for the composite application so far. The tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and impact strength of injibara (Y. alpina) bamboo fibres reinforced PP composites from the ages of 1– 3 years old in November is 111 ± 9–125 ± 8 MPa, 15 ± 0.9–25 ± 0.72 GPa, and 47 ± 5 KJ/m2–57 ± 6 KJ/m2, whereas, in February, it is 86 ± 3.86–116 ± 10 MPa, 11 ± 0.71–23 ± 1.5 GPa, and 34 ± 4–52 ± 6 KJ/m2, respectively. Moreover, Kombolcha (B. oldhamii), bamboo fibres reinforced PP composites in November are 93 ± 7–111 ± 8 MPa, 7 ± 0.51–17 ± 2.56 GPa, and 39 ± 4–44 ± 5 KJ/m2, whereas, in February, it is 60 ± 5–104 ± 10 MPa, 12 ± 0.95–14 ± 0.92 GPa, and 26 ± 3 KJ/m2–38 ± 4 KJ/m2, respectively. Furthermore, Mekaneselam (Y. alpina) bamboo fibres reinforced PP composites in November are 99 ± 8–120 ± 11 MPa, 9 ± 0.82–16 ± 1.85 GPa, and 37 ± 4 KJ/m2–46 ± 5 KJ/m2, whereas, in February, it is 91 ± 8–110 ± 9 MPa, 8 ± 0.75–14 ± 1.86 GPa, and 34 ± 3 KJ/m2–40 ± 4 KJ/m2, respectively. At two years, November and Injibara bamboo have recorded the highest mechanical properties in the current research studies. Bamboo fiber strength in Ethiopia is comparable to the previous study of bamboo fibres and glass fibres used for composite materials in the automotive industry.
The application of biomass-derived composite material is in high demand worldwide in various commercial sectors, including automotive, due to its durable, cost-effective, and environment-friendly characteristics. However, one of the limiting factors of biomass-based composites is its higher water absorption capacity compared to commercial synthetic composites. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize the water absorption capacity of biomass-based, wheat straw fiber-basalt hybrid composite brake pad using the Taguchi method by considering the particle size and volume % of the composite compositions. The composite synthesized in this study carried two variations of particle sizes of basalt, wheat straw, steel, river sand, and graphite, as well as two-volume percentages of epoxy resin for optimization. All composites were molded using a compression molding process at compressive pressure of 6 MPa for 2 h curing in a forced convection oven at 100 °C. Water absorption capacity has been determined according to ASTM D570. The wheat straw fiber has been chemically treated with 5 wt.% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to remove the impurities, lignin, and hemicellulose and increase the surface area of the fiber, resulting in a larger area of contact between the fiber and the matrix. Elemental analysis, crystallinity, morphology, and mechanical strength of wheat straw fiber-based composites have been determined by XRD, SEM, and compression tests, respectively. The statistical method, analysis of variance (ANOVA), was implemented for Taguchi optimization of the composite compositions. The maximum compressive strength and minimum and maximum water absorption capacity of composites were obtained as 77 MPa, 3.55%, and 26.86%, respectively. From the optimum setting of the confirmation experiment, the optimal water absorption value of 5.718% has been obtained. The optimum particle size of the composite compositions was 1 mm basalt particle, 0.5 mm wheat straw fiber, 1 mm steel particle, 1 mm river sand, 0.5 mm graphite dust particle, and 30 vol% epoxy resin by Taguchi method. The parameter impact of Taguchi ranking on water absorption capacity presented the maximum improvement of water absorption, 10.47%, with river sand particle size.
The purpose of this study was to measure the strength of various bamboo fibres and their epoxy composites based on the bamboo ages and harvesting seasons. Three representative samples of 1–3-year-old bamboo plants were collected in November and February. Bamboo fibres and their epoxy composites had the highest tensile strength and Young’s modulus at 2 years old and in November. The back-calculated tensile strengths using the “rule of mixture” of Injibara, Kombolcha, and Mekaneselam bamboo-fibre-reinforced epoxy composites were 548 ± 40–422 ± 33 MPa, 496 ± 16–339 ± 30 MPa, and 541 ± 21–399 ± 55 MPa, whereas the back-calculated Young’s moduli using the “rule of mixture” were 48 ± 5–37 ± 3 GPa, 36 ± 4–25 ± 3 GPa, and 44 ± 2–40 ± 2 GPa, respectively. The tensile strengths of the Injibara, Kombolcha, and Mekaneselam bamboo-fibre-reinforced epoxy composites were 227 ± 14–171 ± 22 MPa, 255 ± 18–129 ± 15 MPa, and 206 ± 19–151 ± 11 MPa, whereas Young’s moduli were 21 ± 2.9–16 ± 4.24 GPa, 18 ± 0.8–11 ± 0.51 GPa, and 18 ± 0.85–16 ± 0.82 GPa respectively. The highest to the lowest tensile strengths and Young’s moduli of bamboo fibres and their epoxy composites were Injibara, Mekaneselam, and Kombolcha, which were the local regional area names from these fibres were extracted. The intended functional application of the current research study is the automobile industries of headliners, which substitute the conventional materials of glass fibres.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.