Mechanical properties of bamboo yarn: A biodegradable composite material for structural works

The hazardous effects of synthetic and petroleum-based polymers on the environment have called for environmental friendly, renewable, and sustainable materials and have become a topic of research for many scientists and other researchers across the globe, researching natural fibers as an alternative reinforcement polymer composite raw material. Natural fibers are readily available and cheap and have less weight, less energy, and superior mechanical properties such as high strength and stiffness. Bamboo yarn as reinforcement of polymer composites is nonabrasive, ecofriendly, and biodegradable and can serve as a raw material for industrial engineering applications. In this chapter, the study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of bamboo yarn (woven or bidirectional) and (unwoven or 45° orientation) as reinforcement in polymer composite, an innovation to utilize its properties in structural designing and fabrication of laminates. The extraction and treatment processes of bamboo yarn and its application as reinforcement in polymer composite are explained in this chapter. The impact, flexural, tensile, and scanning electron microscope were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties and surface morphology of the composites. The influence of bamboo yarn orientation, yarn content, size, and treatment agents on the mechanical properties of the composite was investigated. The chapter discusses the fabrication process of the composite and examines the bamboo yarn-epoxy matrix interfacial bonding, taking into consideration the moisture effect on the composite. The thermal stability and thermal degradation of the composite were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermogravimetric analysis in a nitrogen atmosphere.