EVALUATION OF SUGAR CANE BAGASSE WASTE AS REINFORCEMENT IN EVA MATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Abstract

Variation on the tensile strength and Young modulus of chopped bagasse poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) in EVA matrix composites was evaluated as a function of the cultivar type and surface cleaning of sugar cane bagasse. The experimental results show that the mechanical properties are independent of the cultivar type, suggesting that blends of bagasse can be used for commercial applications of these composites. The results also show that the bagasse discarded by the sugar cane mills has good surface cleaning, so that it can be used in composites without any further surface treatment.