Influence of fiber extraction and surface modification on mechanical properties of green composites with bamboo fiber

Abstract

Environment-friendly fiber reinforced composites were fabricated using bamboo fibers and vinylester resin by the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding technique. Prior to green composites fabrication, bamboo fiber bundles were extracted by three methods, namely steam explosion, alkali extraction, and chemical extraction. Bamboo fiber bundles were characterized for their interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and tensile properties using the Weibull distribution. The effects of surface modification and water absorption were investigated for green composites with bamboo fibers that were surface-modified by sodium hydroxide (alkali) and silane coupling agent. The tensile properties of bamboo fiber bundle decreased in all conditions compared to raw bamboo fiber, but IFSS increased with chemical treatment due to the effective removal of hemicellulose and lignin from surface of bamboo fiber. The alkali/silane treated fiber composites show higher mechanical and durability properties against water absorption than other surface-modified fiber composites.

Keywords:

• bamboo fiber
• fiber extraction
• interfacial shear strength
• surface treatment
• water absorption

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the research project of Doshisha University and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, and the Research and Development Center for Composite Materials at Doshisha University.