Development and characterisation of low-cost polymeric composite materials

In this paper, low-cost polymeric composites with reasonable mechanical and tribological properties were successfully developed using untreated sugarcane fibre (SCF) as a reinforcing agent. The sugarcane fibre/polyester (SCRP) composites were prepared with two forms of reinforcement, i.e. chopped fibres (C-SCRP) and unidirectional fibres (U-SCRP). Tensile strength of the C-SCRP composite was critically influenced by the strength of the fibre more than the interfacial adhesion between the SCF and polyester. However, compressive strength, tensile and compressive moduli of the composite were improved by 37%, 132% and 17%, respectively. Adhesive wear results revealed that SCRP has a good degree of wear resistance when sliding against stainless steel. Abrasive wear results showed that U-SCRP composite in APO was more beneficial than C-SCRP composite and U-SCRP composite in PO. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.