Subjective and Objective Evaluation of Surface Properties of Flattened Bamboo and Polyurethane Self-Foaming Plastic

With the increasing demand for environmental protection, flattened bamboo is gradually attracting attention as a sustainable material. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the surface properties of flattened bamboo and PU self-foaming plastic by subjective and objective evaluation methods, and to explore the substitutability of flattened bamboo and PU self-foaming plastic in furniture design. Objective test methods such as surface hardness testing, gloss measurement, and friction coefficient determination were used in the experiments, and the subjective evaluation of visual and tactile perception of the materials were combined with the semantic differential method. It was found that the flattened bamboo was generally superior to the PU self-foaming plastics in terms of color, gloss, roughness, and wettability, giving a more delicate, warm and comfortable feeling, while the PU self-foaming plastics stood out in terms of personalized style. Further correlation analysis showed that surface gloss and color saturation had a significant effect on the users' psychological feelings. This study provides a scientific basis for replacing PU self-foaming plastic with bamboo in furniture design and also provides a valuable reference for "bamboo instead of plastic" product design.