Charpy impact tests of epoxy composites reinforced with giant bamboo fibers

Abstract

The giant bamboo fiber is among the strongest in the Bambusa species with a potential for application as engineering material. Its properties have been evaluated but there is limited information on the impact resistance of epoxy composites incorporated with giant bamboo fibers. Therefore, this study evaluated the Charpy impact energy of epoxy matrix composites reinforced with up to 30 vol% of giant bamboo fibers. Specimens with Charpy configuration were press-molded with continuous and aligned giant bamboo fibers reinforcing a DGEBA-TETA epoxy as the composite matrix. The energy absorbed by the composites was obtained in standard impact tests and the fracture surface of ruptured specimens was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, SEM. The impact energy was found to increase exponentially with the amount of incorporated fiber. SEM observations revealed the mechanism of crack propagation both in the brittle epoxy matrix and in the fiber interface of the composites.