A feasibility study on bamboo – PLA composite lamina using the mechanics of composite materials

Abstract

This paper examines the implications of fibre angle and its volume fraction (V_f) on the engineering constants of composite lamina reinforced with bamboo fibres (BFs). A polylactic acid (PLA) matrix reinforced with BFs was used to assess the engineering performance constants. The response of bamboo-PLA (BF-PLA) green composite lamina for different $V_f$ was also included in this study. Using the mechanics of composite lamina, the engineering constants of the lamina were varied for fibre orientation angles ranging from 0° to 90° and for $V_f$ ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 in increments of 0.1 (10 %). Additionally, for fibre orientation of 0° and $V_f$ between 0 % (full matrix) and 100 % (full fibres), the investigation provided a range in the lamina's longitudinal tensile strength in increments of 0.01 (1 %). To learn more about the BF-PLA lamina and whether it was feasible to proceed with an experimental investigation, the results were plotted for a comparative analysis. We demonstrated that the bamboo $V_f$ and orientation significantly affect the lamina's longitudinal tensile strength in addition to its engineering constants. We found that there was a critical fibre volume percentage of 8.2 % and a minimal fibre volume fraction of 7.3 %. We discuss the BF-PLA lamina and the applicability in designing facesheets for sandwich composite construction. Considering the outcomes of the macromechanical and micromechanical analysis of lamina, we conclude that the BF-PLA composite has the potential to act as biodegradable facesheets for environmentally friendly sandwich structures. This needs to be further explored by experimental and finite element studies.