Experimental investigation on the mechanical properties of woven hybrid fiber reinforced epoxy composite

For the past few decades, the demands for the natural fiber reinforced polymer composites were growing due to the advantages such as low cost, better strength to density ratio, availability and bio degradability etc. But due to their inherent nature they tend to absorb moisture, which results in weakening of the composite. In this work the hybrid fiber reinforced composite was developed by incorporating woven banana fiber and glass fiber in the Epoxy matrix. The effects of hybridization, stacking sequence and surface treatment of the banana fiber on the mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. Composite specimens were prepared by hand layup method followed by light compression. The specimens were evaluated for the mechanical properties as per ASTM standards, it was found that the stacking sequence had negligible effect on the tensile properties whereas the flexural and impact strength were largely affected by the stacking arrangement of the woven glass fiber and banana fiber. Similarly, the effect of chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of the composites were also evaluated. SEM images were taken to assess the surface morphology of the composite sample.