Investigation of characteristics of bamboo fiber for composite structures

Bamboo fibers have been used for reinforcements in structural composites because of their environmental friendly properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of three types of bamboo, namely Tali bamboo, Gombong bamboo and Haur Hejo bamboo to meet the requirements for a reinforcement in structural composites. The three types of bamboo fibers were alkaline treated by varying the concentrations of NaOH (4% and 6%), and immersion times (1, 2, and 3 hours). The alkaline pre-treatment was conducted at the temperature of 120°C and the pressure of 0.5 MPa using a steam explosion method. The treated bamboo fibers were characterized by FTIR and measured their tensile strengths. The tensile test results showed that the tensile strengths of Tali, Gombong, and Haur Hejo bamboss were 710 MPa, 418 MPa, and 457 MPa respectively. Whereas, the FTIR analysis indicated that there was still a peak of lignin with small intensity marked by aromatic C = C (alkyne) at the wavelength of 1500-2600 cm^-1 for all types of bamboo. There was also a peak of cellulose with an increase in the intensity marked by the aromatic group C = H (alkene) at the wavelength of 1900-2400.