Mechanical properties of interply and intraply hybrid laminates based on jute-glass/epoxy composites

Abstract

Currently, hybridization of natural-synthetic fibers within a polymeric matrix has received wide attention owing to its promising properties. This study investigated the mechanical properties of interply and intraply hybrid jute (J)-glass (G) fiber/epoxy composites. The mechanical properties (i.e., tensile, flexural, and impact) of the pure jute, pure glass, and their hybrid composites were evaluated. The prepared composite samples consisted of five plies of woven fabrics. Interply hybrid composites comprised three layering sequences: G3JG, GJGJG, and 2GJ2G. Intraply hybrid composites of similar co-woven plies were fabricated by either the alternative replacement of a single glass yarn with a single jute yarn (G1J1) or two jute yarns (G1J2). The results showed that increasing the glass fraction in the interply hybrid composites improved their tensile properties. The two intraply hybrid composites provided almost similar tensile moduli, while the tensile strength of the G1J1 samples was approximately 41% higher than that of the G1J2 counterparts. The maximum flexural properties were provided by 2GJ2G composites, followed by GJGJG, and they were interestingly higher than those of pure glass composites. The G1J1 intraply hybrid composites offered a higher flexural strength and a lower flexural modulus than those provided by the pure glass composites. Compared to the pure glass composites, the impact strengths of the 2GJ2G and GJGJG samples decreased by 4% and 16%, respectively. In summary, the GJGJG hybrid composites exhibited the highest specific tensile, flexural, and impact properties compared to the other hybrid composites.