Evaluation of mechanical behavior for animal fiber Reinforced hybrid fiber composite for marine application

Abstract

When natural fibers are bonded together with synthetic material, they exhibit increased mechanical properties which are environment friendly and of low cost. The application of natural fibers as a substitute for chemical fibers draws great interest due to its less weight, lower raw material price, and ecological benefits of using green resources which are biodegradable and renewable. By combining these natural fibers in different compositions, the above-mentioned properties can be enhanced. In this investigation the natural material of goat woolen fiber, hen feather fiber, human hair fiber and synthetic aramid material of Kevlar 29 (K-29) are reinforced with Epoxy resin by hand layup technique and three samples are prepared at various combination. To distribute uniform pressure on sandwiched layers a method called Compression Molding is followed. Tensile strength, flexural strength is performed as per ASTM standard. In addition to this Water Immersion test is also carried out to determine the amount of water absorbed under specified conditions. Bonding layers and structure characterized by Scanning Electron microscope (SEM). The result proved that composite material is enhanced good mechanical properties and very less water absorption. It is used for light weight and for enormous applications in engineering industries and for lining materials of marine environment.