ABSTRACT:
In the study, fracture behaviour of shortbamboofibrereinforcedpolyestercomposites is investigated. The
matrix is reinforced with fibres ranging from 10 to 50, 30 to 50 and 30 to 60 vol.% at increments of 10
vol.% for bamboofibres at 4, 7 and 10 mm lengths respectively. The results reveal that at 4 mm of fibre
length, the increment in fibre content deteriorates the fracture toughness. As for 7 and 10 mm fibre
lengths, positive effect of fibre reinforcement is observed. The optimum fibre content is found to be at
40 vol.% for 7 mm fibre and 50 vol.% for 10 mm fibre. The highest fracture toughness is achieved at 10
mm/50 vol.% fibrereinforcedcomposite, with 340% of improvement compared to neat polyester.
Fractured surfaces investigated through the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) describing different
failure mechanisms are also reported.