Experimental Investigations on Static, Dynamic, and Morphological Characteristics of Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composites

Abstract

The use of natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites has increased over a period of time, majorly due to the ecosustainability and biodegradability of the composites. Among several grades of natural fibers, bamboo fibers offer numerous environmental and cost benefits and possess excellent mechanical characteristics. The superior properties of the bamboo fibers have triggered the research interests in the domain of bamboo fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Among the polymers, polyesters are long chain molecules made up of atoms arranged in various ways with other elements to form the basic building blocks of a polymeric chain. Polyester is being increasingly employed in today’s industrial products due to its inherent advantages. As a result, based on the potential properties of bamboo fibers as reinforcing materials and polyester resin as matrix material, the biocomposites are synthesized by hand lay-up technique and the specimens cut as per the standard dimensions and subjected to mechanical investigations, vibration, and morphological characterization as per the ASTM test methods. The increase in fiber weight content has enhanced flexural, tensile, and impact characteristics and improved the damping characteristics of the composite specimens. The microstructural evaluations have revealed the uniform distribution of the bamboo fibers in the resin, and the morphological studies of the fractured specimens have revealed that the fracture is majorly due to the matrix cracks rather than the fiber debonding, which is a major attribute ascertaining the strong coherent strengthening mechanism brought about by the inclusion of bamboo fiber in the polyester resin.

Synergistic advances in natural fibre composites: a comprehensive review of the eco-friendly bio-composite development, its characterization and diverse applications

“…At higher temperatures, the natural bre components (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) start to degrade and the major properties (mechanical and thermal) of the composite change. Santhosh et al 76 presented an overview of the recent advancements made regarding the thermal properties of natural-and hybrid-bre-reinforced composites in thermoset and thermoplastic polymeric matrices. The methods used to determine the thermal properties of natural and hybrid composites along with the main factors that affect the thermal properties of natural and hybrid bre composites (bre and matrix type, the presence of llers, bre content and orientation, the treatment of the bres, and manufacturing process) were discussed.…”

Nontraditional Natural Filler-Based Biocomposites for Sustainable Structures

“…The nontraditional natural fiber-reinforced composites have significant advantages over the conventional composites due to the higher cellulose and hemicellulose contents that enhance the adhesive characteristics of the composites owing to stronger bonding and greater strength [65]. These materials are critically useful for their applications in sustainable solutions, viz., automotive dashboards, window panels, doors, and other components ranging from aerospace to marine domains [66].…”

Influence of fly ash filler on the mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of epoxy polymer composites reinforced with pineapple leaf fibre for biomedical applications

“…[24][25][26][27] Two prevalent methods consist of fortifying the composites with organic or inorganic llers to augment the durability of the matrix material, and hybridizing the composites with various types of bre or ller to achieve a wide range of composite qualities. [28][29][30][31] Hybridization involves combining with other natural or synthetic llers to obtain a combination of their respective properties in the resulting composites, broadening their range of application. Various methods, such as layer-by-layer stacking, arranging different bres in a single layer, varying the bre orientation, and selective bre placement, are employed for hybridization.…”