Development and characterization of Ethiopian bamboo fibre reinforced polymer composite for automobile industry

Abstract

More Than 1 Million Hectares Of Bamboo Were Found In The Different Regions Of Ethiopia Which Were The Largest Coverage Of Bamboo Plants In Africa. However, The Applications Area Of The Bamboo Culm Was Used For Making Furniture And Utilized In Structural Purposes For Low-Level Technology. Nowadays, Synthetic Fibres Are Substituted By Natural Fibres For The Production Of Automobile Parts, Due To High Weight, Utilize High Energy For Production, Expensive Cost, Ecologically Unfriendly, And Nonbiodegradable. Researchers Have Motivated And Studied The Properties Of Natural Fibres For The Application Of The Automobile And Aerospace Industry. Research Has Not Been Done On The Properties Of Bamboo Fibres And Their Polymer Composites In Ethiopia So Far. The Current Research Studies Develop And Characterize Ethiopian Bamboo Fibres And Their Polymer Composites For Headliners Which Is The Largest Part Of The Automobile Industry. Three Representatives Of Bamboo Plants Were Harvested In Three Regions Of Ethiopia, Three Group Of Age, And Two Harvesting Months. Bamboo Fibres Are Extracted Using A Roll Milling Machine Which The Authors Developed In The Workshop. The Machine Would Be Secreted For The Authors' Confidentiality And Intellectual Property Protection. Bamboo Powders And Different Type Of Chemicals Were Used To Measure The Chemical Composition Of Bamboo Fibres. Six-Slot Compression Mold Was Used To Produce Bamboo Fibers Epoxy Composite According To The Testing Procedures Of Astm Standards. A Hot Press Machine Was Used For The Production Of Polypropylene Prepregs And Composites. The Internodal Length, Outer Diameter, And Wall Thickness Of Injibara Bamboo Are 28?�?50 Cm, 17?�?68 Mm, And 6?�?15 Mm, Whereas Kombolcha Bamboo Is 27?�?45 Cm, 59?�?128 Mm And 8?�?21 Mm And Mekaneselam Bamboo Are 46?�?62 Cm, 27?�?56 Mm And 5?�?17 Mm, Respectively. The Fibres Densities Of Injibara, Kombolcha, And Mekaneselam Are 1.35?�?1.38 G/Cm3, 135?�?1.36 G/Cm3, And 1.34?�?1.36 G/Cm3, Whereas The Degree Of Crystallinities Of Them Are 69?�?73%, 58?�?66%, And 66?�?68%, Respectively. The Cellulose, Hemicelluloses, And Lignin Content Of Injibara Bamboo Have 51?�?53%, 20?�?23%, And 19?�?21% Whereas, Kombolcha Bamboo Has 46?�?49%, 17?�?19%, And 27?�?29% And Mekaneselam Bamboo Has 49?�?52%, 18?�?20% And 21?�?24%, Respectively. The Tensile Strength And Young's Modulus Of Injibara Bamboo Fibres Have 431?�?548 Mpa And 37?�?48 Gpa, Whereas Kombolcha Bamboo Fibres Have 339?�?496 Mpa And 25?�?36 Gpa, And Mekaneselam Bamboo Fibres Have 399?�?541 Mpa And 38?�?45 Gpa, Respectively. The Tensile, Flexural, And Impact Strength Of Injibara Bamboo Fibres Epoxy Composites Has 171?�?227 Mpa, 156?�?234 Mpa, And 31?�?70 Kj/M2, Whereas Kombolcha Has 129?�?205 Mpa, 81?�?190 Mpa, And 43?�?63 Kj/M2, As Well As, Mekaneselam Has 151?�?216 Mpa, 116?�?198 Mpa, And 42?�?66 Kj/M2, Respectively. The Tensile, Flexural, And Impact Strength Of Injibara Bamboo Fibres Polypropylene Composites Has 91?�?125 Mpa, 92?�?159 Mpa, And 34?�?57 Kj/M2 Whereas Kombolcha Has 60?�?111 Mpa, 66?�?99 Mpa, And 26?�?44 Kj/M2, And Mekaneselam Has 85?�?116 Mpa, 89?�?152 Mpa, And 34?�?46 Kj/M2, Respectively. 2?�?Years Old And In November Bamboo Fibres Has A Higher Chemical Composition, And Degree Of Crystallinity. As Well As, Higher Properties Of Bamboo Fibres Polymer Composites. The Highest To The Lowest Mechanical Properties Of Bamboo Fibres Polymer Composites Are Injibara, Mekaneselam, And Kombolcha, Respectively. Further Research Should Be Required To Improve The Mechanical Properties Of Bamboo Fibres Epoxy And Polypropylene Composites. Researchers Should Optimize Fibre Matrix Interaction Using Additives And Treatment. Moreover, Researchers Should Scale Up The Extraction Process Of Fibres Due To The Difficult Extraction Of Fibres From Their Culm.