The objective of this study is to develop a new type
of composite material — bamboo fibre reinforced rubber
(BFRR) composite. Bamboo fibre was selected as the
reinforcement because bamboo is an abundant natural
resource in Asia and its overall mechanical properties
are comparable to those of wood [12]. One of the most
important aspects of composite manufacture is to achieve
adequate adhesion between fibres and the rubber matrix.
In this work we report studies on the effects of filler
loading on the curing characteristics and mechanical
properties of bamboo fibre reinforced natural rubber
composites. The comparison was carried out in order to
examine the effect of a bonding agent for composites.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies were made
to determine the failure mechanism of the composites.