Tensile and Flexural Properties of Bamboo (Gigantochloa apus) Fiber/Epoxy Green Composites

The current work deals with the tensile and flexural properties of bamboo fiber/epoxy composites. Tensile and flexural property evaluations were carried out in accordance with the ASTM D638 and ASTM D790 standards, respectively. Bamboo fiber was obtained from local bamboo by means of degumming process. The matrix being used is Eposchon general purpose Bisphenol A-epichlorohydrin epoxy resin mixed with Eposchon general purpose Polyaminoamide epoxy hardener supplied by P.T. Justus Kimiaraya. The specimens were cut from five bamboo fiber/epoxy composite panels. Five different fiber volume fractions, Vf, i.e. 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 vol%, have been considered. All mechanical and physical characterization were carried out at the Mechanical Engineering laboratory, Universitas Muhammaiyah Yogyakarta. Photo macrographs of selected samples were analyzed to describe their failure modes. Physical property evaluation revealed that a slight fiber content deviation from their expected results was observed. Whilst tensile strength, modulus and strain to failure, as well as flexural strength and modulus were found to increase with the increase of fiber content up to 29.8%, maximum flexural strain to failure was being at Vf = 21.1%. Tensile specimens were mostly failed by debonding followed by fiber breakage, while flexural specimens were mostly failed by debonding followed by fiber breakage and fiber pull-out at tension sides.