Abstract
The synergetic effect of graphene as a matrix strengthener in hybrid (flax/E-glass/epoxy) fiber-reinforced polymer (HFRP) composites at various compositions was investigated. The physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the HFRP composites were thoroughly evaluated for various wt.% of graphene added to the epoxy resin. The HFRP composites were prepared by adding graphene to epoxy resin was impregnated on the flax/E-glass fabric using the compression molding technique. Significant improvement of tensile strength, flexural strength, shear strength, shore D hardness, impact strength and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the composites increased by 86%, 85%, 43%, 26%, 50%, and 80% respectively at 0.6 wt.% of graphene. Considerable reduction in the percentage of water absorption was also observed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate the thermal degradation of the composites, and the effect of surface treatment on flax fiber was validated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Fractography revealed that the main failure mechanism was due to matrix fracture and interfacial debonding. The results showed that 0.6 wt.% of graphene with HFRP composite laminates significantly improved the strength of composites and make them highly suitable for automobiles and structural applications.
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