Effect of Alkali Treatment on Tensile/Chemical Properties and Dielectric Strength of Bamboo and Grass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites

Bamboo and Grass fiber reinforced polyester hybrid composite material was fabricated using the rule of mixtures. The tensile and chemical properties of this composite were studied. The alkali treatment effect of the bamboo and grass fibers on these properties was also studied. The observation revealed that the increase in bamboo fiber content improved the tensile strength of the hybrid composite. These properties were found to be even better, when alkali treated bamboo/grass fibers were used in the hybrid composites. The chemical reactivity of bamboo and grass fibers reinforced polyester hybrid composites with acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide, carbon tetrachloride sodium carbonate, toluene, benzene and water was studied. The hybrid composite has shown better resistance to chemicals mentioned above. The dielectric strength of hybrid fiber reinforced composites was also investigated in the present work. A fiber-polymer interaction was also studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the cross-sections of fractured surfaces.