Mechanical and Hygroscopic Characteristics of Unidirectional Jute/Glass and Jute/Carbon Hybrid Laminates

Abstract

Physical and mechanical performance of natural fiber composites can be tailored by hybridizing with synthetic fibers. Jute fibers are promising and highly available at a low cost in some countries, and they have been used in several applications, with the extra benefit of helping socially depressed people who commonly explore this plant. This work investigates the effect of hybridization on the properties of jute/glass and jute/carbon laminates with polyester resin. Nine different laminates were manufactured by vacuum infusion using unidirectional jute, E-glass, and carbon fabric reinforcements. Tensile, flexural, and short beam tests were performed in accordance with ASTM standards. The hybrid composites showed generally intermediate properties compared to the non-hybrid two-component laminates. The mechanical properties of the hybrid composites were 50–75% smaller than those of their respective pure glass and pure carbon composites, but 30–300% higher compared to the pure jute composite. Among the hybrids, the number of layers of the synthetic fiber played the most important role on properties, rather than the layup. That is, the variation in the number of jute fabrics may produce the required combination of stiffness and strength for different applications. Besides, the hybrid laminates, with more layers of synthetic fibers showed better hygroscopic performance.