Plastination feasibility study of natural fibres : towards a new bamboo-glass fibre hybrid composite

Natural fibers are gaining wide attention by manufacturers due to a great emphasis by government regulators on the use of sustainable materials, especially the natural fiber reinforced polymer composites (NFPCs), which can replace most metals and synthetic fiber composites. However, one of the biggest challenges in working with natural fibers is known to be their moisture absorption ability, leading to fast degradation rates. This research presents an experimental, feasibility study towards enhancing the performance of lignocellulosic fibers (here bamboo) and their structural application as a filler material in a typical glass fiber composite. The first part of the study involves the adaptation of a unique preservation technique called plastination, which is originally used for the preservation of human and animal body tissues. Plastination was applied to the bamboo natural fibers for the very first time, with the hope to hinder their bio-degradability. It was observed that plastination tends to decrease the residual moisture in bamboo and also enhances its mechanical properties. Secondly, an experimental study on a hybrid composite (glass fiber composite with plastinated bamboo as filler) revealed that plastinated bamboo could in fact alter the failure response of the glass fibre composite, without significantly affecting its elastic properties, while increasing its impact energy-absorbing ability and making the material less dense. Next, a material durability testing, involving the exposure of samples to moisture at elevated temperatures, proved that the plastination decreases the composite degradation rate. Moreover, it was observed that the flexural stiffness, which lowers for the regular glass fiber composite after moisture conditioning, slightly increased in the case of hybrid composite. Various parametric and non-parametric hypotheses tests were conducted throughout the work to statistically analyze the significance of process variables involved.Applied Science, Faculty ofEngineering, School of (Okanagan)Graduat