Technical analysis of increasing the quality of apus bamboo fiber (Gigantochloa apus) with alkali and silane treatments as alternative composites material for ship skin manufacturing

Abstract

Apus bamboo fiber (Gigantochloa Apus) is a type of natural fiber that is environmentally friendly, economical and easy to obtain. This research aims to improve the quality of apus bamboo fiber as a composite reinforcement by immersing it in NaOH and Silane chemical alkaline solutions. Apus bamboo fibers that have been subjected to chemical treatment are then fed into the mold and mixed with resin to form a composite material the mechanical with the strength of apus bamboo fiber. Mechanical tests are carried out to determine properties of composites. The standards used are SNI 03-3960-1994 and SNI 03-3399-1994. The test results obtained for the average value on the tensile test was 70.23 (without treatment), 63.78 MPa (soaked in NaOH), and 81.23 MPa (soaked with methanol solution). The average value for the flexural test was 100.14 MPa (without treatment), 84.63 MPa (soaked in NaOH), and 113.7 MPa (soaked in methanol solution). The average value for the perpendicular compressive test is 60.66 MPa (without treatment), 45.84 MPa (soaked in NaOH), and 67.35 MPa (soaked in methanol solution). The average values for parallel compressive tests were 38.70 MPa (without treatment), 34.82 MPa (soaked in NaOH), and 38.90 MPa (soaked in methanol solution). The strength of the composite of apus bamboo fiber reinforced strengths was included in the Kelas Kuat II and Kelas Kuat III on the Indonesian Classification Bureau (BKI) for standard wooden vessels.