Assessment of physical and mechanical properties of bamboo–plastic composites

Abstract

Lignocellulosic composites have a long history of use as building materials including deck, fences, landscaping timber, and indoor furniture. The use of bamboo in polymer‐based composite remains limited because of the lack of fundamental information on the resulting properties of these materials. The properties of a 40%–60% Giant thorny bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) (by wt) composite containing high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) was investigated with injection‐molded panels. Flexural properties, impact bending, and tensile strength as well as physical properties such as water uptake and swelling were investigated to assess the effects of varying bamboo content on properties of bamboo/plastic composite (BPC). Increasing bamboo levels had significant effects on flexural properties and tensile strength but little consistent effect on either impact strength or moisture behavior. Our results suggest that it Giant thorny bamboo could be added to reduce both the costs and weight of the finished product without adversely impacting properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:2834–2839, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers