Tensile Properties of Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Biodegradable Plastics

This paper describes tensile properties of bamboo fiber reinforced biodegradable plastics. The unidirectional biodegradable composites were made from bamboo fiber bundles and a starch-based biodegradable resin. The tensile strengths of the composites increased with increasing fiber content up to 70%. The composites possessed extremely high tensile strengths of 265 MPa. The fabrication with emulsion-type biodegradable resin contributed to reduction in voids and fiber contacts in the composites. Moreover, heat resistance of bamboo fibers and bamboo fiber reinforced plastics was investigated. As results, tensile strength of both bamboo fiber and bamboo fiber reinforced plastics decreased at 160℃.In this study, bamboo fibers were selected as a reinforcement of the biodegradable composites due to their high strength and excellent thermal stability. In order to increase the fraction of the fibers, emulsion-type biodegradable resin was used as the matrix. The unidirectional fiber reinforced composites were fabricated by hot pressing. Moreover, heat resistance of bamboo fibers and bamboo fiber reinforced plastics was investigated.