Investigation of Fibre Orientation and Void Content in Bagasse Fibre Composites Using an Image Analysis Technique

In this research work, a nondestructive technique of image analysis was explored to determine the fibre orientation and void content in Bagasse fibre reinforced composites. Fibre length, alkali treatment and fibre loading were studied as variables. The fibre orientation was irrespective of the fibre length, fibre loading and alkali treatment variables. The void content and size decreased with increases in fibre length and alkali treatment. The alkali treatment resulted in the removal of lignin, making the surface of the fibres rough. It also led to making the fibre count fine i.e. reducing the diameter of the fibres and thus presenting more fibres for interaction with resin. Both these phenomena resulted in a slower flow of resin. The void content of bagasse fibre composites decreased with higher fibre loading because a higher number of fibres slows the resin flow. However, the size i.e. area of the voids increased with the fibre loading from 20 to 30%, probably due to increased wetting difficulty.