Miscellaneous Study on Epoxy/Synthetic/Natural Fiber Hybrid Composites

Abstract

The contemporary trend has attested that fiber-reinforced composites have been utilized to replace steel and other metal alloys in a broad range of engineering applications, particularly in the transportation sectors to improve energy efficiency without compromising safety performance. The intensive research works toward the excellent mechanical performance of composite materials without compromising the environmental friendliness have stimulated the growth of hybrid composites. The hybrid composites refer to the materials which are composed of multiple types of synthetic or natural fibers within a single polymer matrix. Over the years, it has been proven that hybrid composites have shown innumerable benefits over non-hybrid composite materials in terms of mechanical performance and ecological concerns. Nevertheless, the challenging issues which affect the miscellaneous properties of hybrid composite materials still exist and have not been fully resolved. This chapter aims at providing brief overview of the factors influencing the miscellaneous properties of composite materials. Furthermore, the miscellaneous properties of various types of hybrid composites are briefly discussed and demonstrated.KeywordsHybrid compositesNatural fibersSynthetic fibersEpoxyMiscellaneous properties