Effect of fabricated density and bamboo species on physical–mechanical properties of bamboo fiber bundle reinforced composites

Abstract

Bamboo stems were subjected to a mechanical treatment process for the extraction of bamboo fiber bundles. The fiber bundles were used as reinforcement for the fabrication of high-performance composites with phenolic resins as matrix. The influence of fabricated density and bamboo species on physical–mechanical properties of bamboo fiber bundle reinforced composites (BFCs) was evaluated. The results revealed that BFCs with density of 1200 kg/m3 exhibited lower water absorption, better dimensional stability, and higher mechanical properties with comparison to those with lower density. The changes in microstructures of BFCs with respect to density gave evidence that the high performance of BFCs with high density was due to the almost complete collapse of bamboo lumens, which resulted in the formation of solid bamboo and thin resin films with water resistance ability. BFCs fabricated from five bamboo species all showed better properties compared to commercialized bamboo-based composites. However, significant differences in physical–mechanical properties of BFCs among bamboo species were also found. This may be attributed to the variations in anatomical structure and physical–mechanical properties among original bamboo species. From a practical production view, the effect of bamboo species on properties of BFCs should be properly taken into consideration.