Investigation of the Properties of Sugarcane Bagasse Particle Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Biocomposites

The stir casting technique was employed to produce sugarcane bagasse particle-reinforced epoxy matrix biocomposites. The microstructure, physicaland mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated. The results obtained from the experiments revealed the presence of pores in the microstructure and distribution of reinforcing particles in the epoxy matrix. The control specimen possesseda density of 0.71 g/cm3while specimens S4, S5 and S6 possessedthe highest density of 0.93 g/cm3. Control specimen C1 demonstrated water absorption of 0.25 % while specimens S5 and S6 demonstrated the lowest water absorption of 0.19 %. Control specimen demonstrated the lowest tensile strength of 7.21 MPa whereas specimen S5 which contained 25 wt. % of bagasse particles demonstrated the highest tensile strength of 22.55 MPa. This is 213 % higher than that of the control specimen. Specimen S5 containing 25 wt. % of bagasse particles demonstrated the highest hardness value of 23.95 HV. The control specimen C1 demonstrated the highest impact energy of4.87 J. The impact energy of the specimens decreased as weight percent (wt. %) of bagasse particles increased. The decrease in impact energy is suggested to be due to the presence of filler particles, which may represent points for localized stress concentration from which failure began.