EFFECT OF SURFACE TREATMENT ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BAGASSE FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE

Bagasse is a by-product of the sugarcane milling process, and it also is an important fuel resource for that industry. In this study an attempt has been made to utilize this by-product to prepare a composite using epoxy resin. The fibers surface was modified by alkali treatment with 5% NaOH solution for 0, 2, 4 and 6 hrs. The effect of fiber surface modification on the mechanical properties such as flexural strength of the composites was investigated with the fibers as received from the milling process. It was found that alkali-treated bagasse/epoxy composites significantly improved the flexural strength of the composite. An SEM investigation also indicated that the surface modifications improved the fiber–matrix interaction.