Experimental Investigation on Properties of Sugarcane Bagasse Fiberboard Manufactured with Different Techniques

Abstract

Abstract Within an ongoing research project investigating the use of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) to develop different building materials, this article adopts an experimental approach to determine the effect of the manufacturing technique on proposed composite fiberboards. Two different prototypes of composite fiberboards are developed using (SCB) as a natural fiber, and different matrices are tested. The epoxy resin and polyester resin are used as the alternative matrices. Fiberboards are proposed to be used as cladding boards or as internal furnishing units material instead of using MDF or HDF that exploit the usage of natural soft or hard wood that is unrecyclable, thus depleting the natural resources of our world. Different research articles tackle the characterization of various physical or mechanical properties of such natural fiber/synthetic matrix composites. However, this research focuses on the effect of the manufacturing technique on the various properties of relevance in accordance with the proposed function and use of the developed materials. The study parameters are the fiber size grading and the manufacturing processes. Two different manufacturing techniques are adopted; the press mold, and the vacuum infusion, to reach a maximum fiber volume fraction, good surface condition, and fewer voids. The developed panels are tested to determine the impact of the above-mentioned parameters on the physical and mechanical properties, and hence, a preliminary attempt to bridge the gap between research and industry is presented. Results show that the best strength results for tensile and bending strengths are for specimens made from fine fibers, epoxy matrix, and vacuum infusion technique.