Mechanical Characterization of Gigantochloa Scortechinii Bamboo Fiber with E-Glass/Epoxy Hybrid Composites

Abstract

Natural fiber-reinforced composites are essential for the growth of polymer composite technology. The key goal of this study is to utilize the natural bamboo Gigantochloa scortechinii, which is obtained in Melaka, Malaysia. In this study, the mechanical properties of woven bamboo, epoxy polymer, and E-glass hybrid composite were characterized. Woven bamboo laminates were woven from bamboo strips, and the hybrid composites were obtained by manually stacking alternating 2-6 laminates of woven bamboo, E-glass, and epoxy. The findings show that increasing the woven bamboo layers from 2 to 6 did not improve the tensile strength, modulus, impact, and flexural strength. However, the hardness strength was increased. Overall, the minimum or maximum number of laminated bamboo fiber/E-glass/epoxy hybrid composite layers can be used in various product applications.