Journal of Materials Science and Engineering with Advanced TechnologyAuthor's: Shinji Ochi
Pages: [99] - [113]
Received Date: March 28, 2011
Submitted by:
The use of plastic products has been steadily increasing over the last several decades. However, because plastic waste is being discarded in ever-increasing quantities, final disposal sites for such waste are becoming scarce. Therefore, materials must be developed that minimize this problem. This paper describes the mechanical properties of press-molded specimens fabricated by using three types of bamboo fiber material: bamboo powder, rough fiber, and fiber bundle. Bamboo fiber can be hot press-molded much like plastic, and the use of these materials in place of plastic products would reduce the environmental impact of extensive plastic use. In the present study, the tensile and flexural strength of molded specimens made from bamboo fiber were examined. The results showed that the tensile and flexural strength of specimens using bamboo powder and rough fiber increased with molding temperature. However, the strength of specimens fabricated from fiber bundles peaked at 180°C and decreased at 200°C. The highest tensile and flexural strengths of the bamboo fiber specimens tested were recorded at 36.8MPa and 99.8MPa, respectively
bamboo fiber, press molded product, biodegradable material, mechanical properties, hot press.
