Structural integrity of laminated bamboo composites

In this study, the fatigue and fracture properties of bamboo fiber composites with various woven layer were investigated. In these experiments, unsaturated polyester (UP) and bamboo fiber (BF) strips were prepared through the hand lay-up technique using 3 mm thick aluminium mould. The composite bamboo strips were prepared in 1.5 mm thickness. The strips are woven to make a single layer. The layer is then laminated into several thicknesses. The specimens were then characterized using fatigue and fracture tests. The fatigue limit of 30MPa and fracture toughness of 5-8 MPa √m was obtained. These findings suggest that bamboo strips, based on unsaturated polyesters, provides relatively good in fatigue and fracture properties and a good alternative reinforcing fibers to combat fatigue and fracture failures.