Anisotropic compressive properties and behavior of a bio-based composite material

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the composite materials made of straw fibers from the cereal crop as bio-aggregates and lime as a binder have been developed. The compressive properties and behavior of composite specimens have been examined for various test speeds and directions. The highest density and compressive strengths are 391 kg/m3 and 0.170 MPa, respectively, in which the compressive strength is obtained in the parallel direction tested composite specimen. The highest Young’s modulus in global values is found to be 2.25 MPa for specimen test at parallel direction and 10 mm/min of speed rate of loading test. In the speed rates of 100 mm/min, stress values are faster and bigger than the specimens conducted at 10 mm/min of speed rates at the same strain level. The different behavior of specimens is obviously seen in the parallel and pouring testing specimens. The composites had been debonding on fibers-binders, buckling in fibers, and then they had been in densification. However, the debonding and buckling process are not clearly visible in the pouring directions specimen tested. Before densification, it had regularly compacting process.