Mechanical Properties of Bamboo on Virgin and Recycled High-Density Polyethylene Matrix

Natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites are considered to have advantages over synthetic fibers, namely that they are more environmentally friendly but with better mechanical properties. The purpose of this study was to make a pure / recycled HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) composite with bamboo fiber reinforcement by analyzing the mechanical properties of the composite. The method used in this research is experimental with a quantitative approach. Experiments are carried out by creating or manipulating certain conditions and by providing control over the test specimen. Pure / recycled HDPE plastics and bamboo fibers will be mixed in a machine extrusion molding with a temperature heater (160, 165, 170, 175) ° C. Before fabrication, bamboo fibers are treated with alkaline treatment, namely by immersing 5% NaOH. The ratio of mass fraction between vHDPE/rHDPE and bamboo fiber was 70%: 30%. This study evaluated the mechanical properties of HDPE-bamboo composites using Izod Impact testing with ASTM D 256-05 standards. Tests were carried out to analyze the differences between pure HDPE and recycled HDPE matrices on bamboo fiber reinforced composites. The mechanical test results showed that the impact strength on bamboo composites with recycled HDPE matrix was 2.69 (KJ / m²) while bamboo composites with pure HDPE matrices had an impact strength of 1.6 (KJ / m²). Thus, the mechanical properties measured by impact strength on composites with recycled HDPE matrices were better than composites with pure HDPE matrices. In accordance with the results of research that has been done, recycled HDPE can be used as a matrix composite with mechanical properties that are not too different from composites with pure HDPE matrices. This can be done as a means of utilizing recycled HDPE waste instead of pure HDPE.