バガス繊維を用いた複合材料の最適射出成形条件の検討
Determination of Optimum Condition for Injection Molding of Composite Material Using Bagasse Fiber
福本 功・銘苅春栄
Fukumoto, Isao / Mekaru, Shunei
Bagasse is obtained by squeezing sugar cane. In Okinawa, Japan, about 2.3 hundred thousand tons of bagasse is produced every year and used mainly as boiler fuel in factories. This research, embracing the new point of view that bagasse is invaluable for use other than fuel, aims to demonstrate its utility as a composite material. The first example is Bulk Molding Compound (BMC) composed of high density polyethylene (HDPE) mixed with powdered glass and powdered bagasse and processed by injection molding. When the bagasse content is increased, there is little improvement in tensile strength due to the existence of holes caused by trapped gas arising from high viscosity. The addition of bagasse however contributes to reduced shrinkage of the product. Another example is linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) combined with chopped strand glass fiber and short bagasse fiber. With an increase in bagasse content, the tensile strength increases because glass fibers become fixed when they pierce into the bagasse fibers. Shrinkage is also reduced. Under the optimum conditions determined through SN ratio analysis based on design of experiment, the tensile strength of the product showed an efficient high strength which is in accord with the predicted strength within the 95% confidence limit range.
Key words: Bagasse fiber / BMC / Injection molding / Composite material / Recycling