Mechanical and physical properties of water hyacinth and cogon grass fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites

Abstract

In this paper, the study investigates the mechanical and physical properties of water hyacinth and cogon grass fiber reinforced epoxy resin hybrid composites. Hand lay-up technique was used to fabricate the composites. Water absorption, microstructure, tensile properties, flexural properties, and impact strength tests for total fiber contents, 15 wt %, and different water hyacinth and cogon grass fiber ratios (10/0, 8/2, 6/4, 4/6, 2/8, and 0/10) were used to evaluate the investigation's effects. The addition of water hyacinth and cogon grass fiber into epoxy improves tensile, flexural, and impact properties while decreasing water absorption, according to the findings. Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the microstructure of the composites was analyzed, and surface fracture behavior and the void between the fiber and matrix were observed.