Physical and Mechanical Behaviour of Sugarcane Bagasse Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy Bio-Composites

In this study, experiments are performed to study the physical and mechanical behaviour of chemically-treated sugarcane bagasse fibre-reinforced epoxy composite. The effect of alkali treatment, fibre varieties, and fibre lengths on physical and mechanical properties of the composites is studied. To study the morphology of the fractured composites, scanning electron microscopy is performed over fractured composite surfaces. The study found that the variety and lengths of fibres significantly influence the physical and mechanical properties of the sugarcane bagasse-reinforced composites. From the wear study, it is found that the composite fabricated from smaller fibre lengths show low wear. The chemically-treated bagasse-reinforced composites fabricated in this study show good physical and mechanical properties and are, therefore, proposed for use in applications in place of conventional natural fibres.