Development of natural fibre reinforced hybrid composites and its characterization

Abstract

An attempt was made in this study to fabricate natural fiber-strengthened epoxy composite material using hand-layup method. Four different natural fibers were used to develop the hybrid composites. The test specimens were prepared from the composites to carry out mechanical characterization according to the ASTM standard. Mechanical testing was performed to characterize the composites, namely tensile, flexural, impact and double shear. The results showed that Kevlar/Aloevera/palm/epoxy hybrid composite had superior mechanical properties relative to other hybrid composites. The tensile strength, flexural strength and load bearing capacity were increased by 50%, 14% and 54% respectively. To analyze the fracture surface of the tested samples, Scanning Electron Microscope was used. Fiber breakage and matrix cracking were the dominant failure mechanism of composites in tensile testing. Matrix cracking and delamination have been the dominant failure mechanism in impact testing.