Tensile Decrease Research Articles

Smart packaging films based on gelatin/κ-carrageenan integrated with gromwell root extract rich in shikonin and carbon dots for real-time monitoring of shrimp freshness.

Multifunctional pH-responsive gelatin/κ-carrageenan (GC) blend films containing gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon [LE]) root ethanolic extract (LE-EE) rich in shikonin or shikonin rich extract (SRE) and carbon dots (LE carbon dots [LE-CDs]) were prepared and characterized. The hydrothermal method was adopted for the synthesis of LE-CDs, which displayed a blue color under UV light. The obtained LE-CDs possessed exceptional UV barrier, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The enhanced activities were recorded when the level of LE-CDs upsurged (p<0.05). Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results revealed the typical morphology and chemical composition of LE-CDs. LE-CDs of 1 and 3% (w/w) were incorporated as the active fillers along with SRE into the GC blend film by the solvent casting method. Developed films showed a slight decrease in tensile and water vapor barrier properties with the inclusion of both additives. Color and opaqueness of the film became darker as the additives were incorporated, whereas the thermal property was greatly enhanced. Film containing 3% LE-CDs blocked UV-A and UV-B by 93.30 and 99.81%, respectively. GC/SRE/3%CD film exhibited strong radical scavenging and antibacterial activities against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli, in which the growth was terminated after 12h. Film had a pH-dependent color change, depending on various pH levels (2-12). Shrimp freshness could be monitored as indicated by the shift to bluish color after 48h. Therefore, this finding indicated that incorporating biomass-derived CDs and natural colorants into biopolymer films, especially GC blend films, could offer diverse strategies for maintaining safety and prolonging shelf life in response to the growing need for smart packaging for food applications.

Trachyspermum ammi, a plant-based antimicrobial agent for paper packaging in e-commerce for consumer safety

This study used a plant-based antimicrobial agent (Trachyspermum ammi or Ajowan essential oil) to develop a water-based coating emulsion with polyvinyl alcohol as a binder. The emulsion was spray-coated onto the packaging paper to achieve antimicrobial properties and prevent disease transmission during the e-commerce supply chain. The coated papers were studied for their morphological, chemical, mechanical, barrier, and antimicrobial behaviors. The presence of Ajowan oil on coated paper was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and surface morphology. In parallel, the time-bound release of volatile Ajowan oil from the coated papers was demonstrated when stored in a controlled environment using UV–vis spectroscopy. Both bending stiffness and tear strength significantly increased for coated papers due to the presence of polyvinyl alcohol in the coating, whereas the high concentration of oil resulted slight decrease in tensile and burst strength of coated papers. Finally, the antimicrobial activity of coated paper was checked against S. aureus and E. coli at different concentrations of Ajowan oil in coating and was found to be effective for 10 days. The coated papers also showed remarkable antimicrobial activity when tested against all unknown microbes on bare human hands.

Effect of temperature on the mechanical behavior of glass fiber reinforced with hollow glass particle-filled epoxy composites

The design of marine ships and aircraft components with hollow glass particle-filled fiber-reinforced composites demands an understanding of their performance under outdoor conditions. The continuous glass fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix filled with hollow glass particles in the range of 0–0.3 vol fraction was prepared by the compression molding machine. The influence of temperature exposure on the mechanical behavior of glass fiber-reinforced hollow glass particle composites was studied by conducting tensile and flexural tests. The temperature exposure varying from room temperature up to 60 °C was used to investigate the effect of service temperature on the hollow glass particle-filled fiber composite specimens. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was conducted to study the glass transition behavior of the composites. The incorporation of microspheres in the glass fiber composites gradually reduced the tensile and flexural strength, while their specific values increased as increasing the microspheres. The hollow glass particle-filled fiber composites tested at 60 °C exhibited a decrease in tensile and flexural strength compared with room temperature. As the température of the test spécimens was nearer to the glass transition value, the polymer chain was softened, leading to a reduction in strength. In contrast, the modulus values remain unaffected by increasing the temperature to 60 °C.

Effect of SiC addition in fabrication of Al/SiC metal matrix composite by stir casting

Aluminum alloys find extensive application in aerospace and automobile industries due to their advantageous attributes: low density, commendable mechanical properties, superior corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and a lower thermal coefficient of expansion compared to traditional metals and alloys. These materials boast excellent mechanical properties while maintaining a relatively cost-effective production, rendering them highly desirable across various scientific and technological applications. The objective of developing metal matrix composite materials is to combine the favorable characteristics of both metals and ceramics. This study focuses on investigating the behavior of Aluminum alloy 6063 combined with SiC composite produced through the stir casting method. A different percentage (3% & 5%) of SiC is added with Al6063, and the specimens were fabricated by a stir-casting process. Tensile tests, Hardness Tests, and impact test were conducted on the specimens obtained from the stir-casting process. The result showed that there is an increase in hardness and decrease in tensile and impact strength upon the addition of SiC with Al6063 to fabricate metal matrix composite.

Effect of Olive Pit Reinforcement in Polylactic Acid Biocomposites on Environmental Degradation.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biomaterial widely used as an alternative to petroleum-based polymeric matrices in plastic components. PLA-based biocomposites reinforced with lignocellulosic waste are currently receiving special attention owing to their mechanical properties, low toxicity, recyclability, and biodegradability. The influence of the percentage of waste on their properties and resistance to degradation are some of the points of great relevance. Therefore, a series of PLA-based biocomposites containing different percentages of olive pits (5, 15, 25 and 40% wt.) were manufactured and characterized both (a) immediately after manufacture and (b) after one year of storage under environmental conditions. The results obtained were analyzed to evaluate the influence of the incorporation of olive pits on the resistance to degradation (measured through Carbonyl Indices, CI), mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact strength), structure (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, FT-IR; and, X-ray Diffraction, XRD), morphology (Scanning Electron Microscopy, SEM) and water absorption capacity of the manufactured materials. PLA degradation, corroborated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR, and XRD, resulted in a decrease in tensile and flexural strengths and an increase in the tensile and flexural moduli. This trend was maintained for the biocomposites, confirming that reinforcement promoted the PLA degradation.

Strength Properties of 316L and 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Produced with Additive Manufacturing.

The number of additive manufacturing methods and materials is growing rapidly, leaving gaps in the knowledge of specific material properties. A relatively recent addition is the metal-filled filament to be printed similarly to the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology used for plastic materials, but with additional debinding and sintering steps. While tensile, bending, and shear properties of metals manufactured this way have been studied thoroughly, their fatigue properties remain unexplored. Thus, the paper aims to determine the tensile, fatigue, and impact strengths of Markforged 17-4 PH and BASF Ultrafuse 316L stainless steel to answer whether the metal FFF can be used for structural parts safely with the current state of technology. They are compared to two 316L variants manufactured via selective laser melting (SLM) and literature results. For extrusion-based additive manufacturing methods, a significant decrease in tensile and fatigue strength is observed compared to specimens manufactured via SLM. Defects created during the extrusion and by the pathing scheme, causing a rough surface and internal voids to act as local stress risers, handle the strength decrease. The findings cast doubt on whether the metal FFF technique can be safely used for structural components; therefore, further developments are needed to reduce internal material defects.

Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Material Extrusion with Hybrid Composites of Carbon and Aramid Fibers

An existing challenge in the use of continuous fiber reinforcements in additively manufactured parts is the limited availability of suitable fiber materials. This leads to a reduced adaptability of the mechanical properties to the load case. The increased design freedom of additive manufacturing allows the flexible deposition of fiber strands at defined positions, so that even different fiber materials can be easily combined in a printed part. In this work, therefore, an approach is taken to combine carbon and aramid fibers in printed composite parts to investigate their effects on mechanical properties. For this purpose, tensile, flexural and impact tests were performed on printed composite parts made of carbon and aramid fibers in a nylon matrix with five different mixing ratios. The tests showed that the use of hybrid composites for additive manufacturing is a reasonable approach to adapt the mechanical properties to the loading case at hand. The experiments showed that increasing the aramid fiber content resulted in an increase in impact strength, but a decrease in tensile and flexural strength and a decrease in stiffness. Microstructural investigations of the fracture surfaces showed that debonding and delamination were the main failure mechanisms. Finally, Rule of Hybrid Mixture equations were applied to predict the mechanical properties at different mixture ratios. This resulted in predicted values that differed from the experimentally determined values by an average of 5.6%.

Effect of alfa fiber loading on the mechanical, physical and dielectric properties of epoxy-amine composite

In this work, a varied content of alfa fiber was used as reinforcement and epoxy resin as matrix material. In order to eliminate the amorphous part of the alfa fiber, the fibers are treated with 5% of sodium hydroxide solution and their weight fraction is varied between 10% and 30%. Dielectric and water characteristics of different content of untreated and alkali treated alfa reinforced epoxy matrix is carried out in order to determine the role of cellulosic fibers in electrical field. Then, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) is employed to analyze the chemical structure of epoxy resin before and after curing with amine hardener. FTIR and Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis confirm that epoxy resin is completely cured with amine hardener at room temperature. For composites loaded with 30% treated and untreated alfa fiber, a decrease in tensile and dielectric properties has been obtained, this may be related to the random distribution of alfa fiber in the epoxy matrix. Scanning electron microscopy analysis highlight the microstructure of epoxy matrix and its composites. The bio composites elaborated on the basis of alfa fiber and epoxy matrix have good physical and dielectric properties can be applied in different fields.

Utilization of waste dolomite dust in carbon fiber reinforced vinylester composites

The present study was designed to explore the applicability of dolomite dust (a waste from a dolomite quarry) as filler in polymer composites. Therefore, fixed carbon fiber reinforced vinyl ester composites with varying dolomite dust proportions (0, 5, 10 and 15 wt.%) are manufactured and subsequently evaluated for physicomechanical and sliding wear properties. Experimental results indicate that density, void content, impact energy, hardness, tensile modulus, and flexural modulus increase with dolomite content increase. On the other hand, a continuous decrease in tensile and flexural strength was observed with increased dolomite dust content. The sliding wear tests were performed using L16 orthogonal design, considering four parameters: dolomite dust, sliding distance, applied load, and sliding velocity according to the Taguchi method. It was found that dolomite dust was the most noteworthy parameter of wear rate, followed by applied load and sliding distance.

Decomposition of cellular structure in selective laser melted Cu–Zn–Si silicon brass and its influence on microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties

Brass alloys containing low boiling-point element zinc are hard to be formed by selective laser melting (SLM). In this study, a Cu-12.9Zn-2.5Si silicon brass was produced successfully by SLM via optimizing process parameters, and then subjected to isothermal annealing at 873 K with different holding time. The evolutions of microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties were investigated systematically by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction and so on. Our results showed that nearly full-dense brass could be obtained with the laser scanning speed below 200 mm/s. The optimum specimens displayed high tensile and compressive yield strength, and {110}<001> Gaussian texture. After annealing, cellular structure in the SLM specimens changed into high-density annealing twins, accompanied with weakening of the texture. The decomposition of the cellular structure resulted in a significant improvement of corrosion resistance but a decrease in tensile and compressive yield strength. Strengthening mechanism analysis demonstrated that that strengthening contribution of cellular structure was more significant than that of annealing twins. The obtained results will provide some guidelines for the production of high-performance silicon brass alloys by SLM for structural applications.

DEVELOPMENT OF POLYMER - BAMBARANUT SHELL COMPOSITE FOR STRUCTURAL BOARD APPLICATION

This paper is aimed at investigating the use of Bambaranut shell powder as reinforcing material in polymer matrix for structural board production and to investigate its effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting composites. Composites were prepared with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% by weight of Bambaranut shell of particle size 150 µm. SEM was used to analyze the internal structure of the composites. Analysis of variance was employed to investigate the influence of the addition of Bambaranut shell particle on both the mechanical and physical properties of the samples. The properties measured range as follows: water absorption ( 0.65 to 1.95 %); density (0.1044 to 0.1129 g/〖cm〗^3 ); ultimate tensile strength (20.90 to 11.76 MPa); tensile modulus (102.55 to 161.41 MPa), flexural modulus (3818.53 to 2283.70 MPa) and flexural strength (29.96 to 53.09 MPa). Results show that as percentage of Bambaranut shell particle increased from 10% to 50% there was a decrease in tensile, compressive, impact Strength and flexural modulus. Also, increase in weight percentage of Bambaranut shell particles lowered the density and raised the hardness, and water absorption of the composites. The mechanical properties showed that the composites produced can be used for structural application.

Assessing the mechanical behavior of glass and basalt reinforced vinyl ester composite under artificial seawater environment

Glass and basalt fiber reinforced vinyl ester epoxy (GFRP and BFRP) composites offer considerable potential for underwater and deep sea applications. In spite of their increasing usage in various sectors, there are still questions concerning their long term reliability in marine environment. In this article, the response of GFRP and BFRP to seawater ageing and their subsequent mechanical properties were evaluated. The composites were fabricated by vacuum assisted resin injection technique and seawater aged at 30 0C for 18, 28, 38, 258 and 305 days. By using scanning electron microscope (SEM), the failure of dry and seawater aged specimen after mechanical testing showed fiber breaking, debonding and sporadic fracturing along the laminate. This was due to higher moisture concentration in these areas during ageing. The results also revealed an overall steady decrease in tensile, flexural and impact strengths of seawater aged laminates with increasing ageing duration. Overall, the seawater ageing property of BFRP composites is almost identical to that of GFRP. The use of different nano-materials could also be explored in future works to address some drawbacks in the fiber–matrix interface durability after seawater ageing.

Production and characterization of bacterial cellulose-alginate biocomposites as food packaging material

Biocomposite of bacterial cellulose-alginate has been developed for use as food packaging material. This study aims to understand the physical and mechanical properties of the biocomposite produced from static fermentation of Gluconacetobacter xylinus InaCC B404 in media supplemented with alginate. The strain was grown in a medium containing alginate at a concentration of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2% w/v at 30oC for 7 days. The SEM images showed that bacterial cellulose produced in a medium supplemented with alginate had a denser structure of fibril network and a smaller pore size than the control one. The structure change was due to interactions through hydrogen bonds between bacterial cellulose and alginate proven by FTIR spectra, resulting in a decrease in crystallinity and crystallite size of bacterial cellulose. It led to the decrease in tensile and tear strength of the resulting biocomposite. Alginate also causes biocomposite to have higher water vapour permeability values.

PA6/PA66/talc composite: Effect of reprocessing on the structure and properties

AbstractIn this study the effect of repeated injection molding cycles on the structure and properties of polyamide 6/polyamide 66/talc (PA6/PA66/talc ‐ 35/35/30) composite was investigated for samples subjected to one, four, and seven processing cycles. Their morphology (scanning electron microscopy), structure (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), melt viscosity (melt flow index [MFI]), mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact, and fatigue tests), and thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis tests) were analyzed. The increase in MFI value and the decrease in the maximum decomposition temperature of PA6, observed by TG analysis, for samples subjected to seven processing cycles, indicated a possible reduction in molar mass of the PA6/PA66 matrix. These samples presented a decrease in degree of crystallinity of PA6 and PA66, which was more pronounced for PA6. The reprocessing of the composite did not present changes in the mechanical properties up to the fourth processing cycle, except for fatigue life which presented a 59% reduction. Samples subjected to seven processing cycles presented a decrease in tensile and flexural strength as well as in tensile and flexural modulus. Charpy impact strength of the samples did not significantly change upon reprocessing. The micrographs of the fatigue fractured surfaces indicated that the weak talc‐matrix interaction and talc‐matrix debonding became more evident with increasing processing cycles.

Physical Properties and Non-Isothermal Crystallisation Kinetics of Primary Mechanically Recycled Poly(l-lactic acid) and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate).

The physical properties and non-isothermal melt- and cold-crystallisation kinetics of poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biobased polymers reprocessed by mechanical milling of moulded specimens and followed injection moulding with up to seven recycling cycles are investigated. Non-isothermal crystallisation kinetics are evaluated by the half-time of crystallisation and a procedure based on the mathematical treatment of DSC cumulative crystallisation curves at their inflection point (Kratochvil-Kelnar method). Thermomechanical recycling of PLLA raised structural changes that resulted in an increase in melt flow properties by up to six times, a decrease in the thermal stability by up to 80 °C, a reduction in the melt half-time crystallisation by up to about 40%, an increase in the melt crystallisation start temperature, and an increase in the maximum melt crystallisation rate (up to 2.7 times). Furthermore, reprocessing after the first recycling cycle caused the elimination of cold crystallisation when cooling at a slow rate. These structural changes also lowered the cold crystallisation temperature without impacting the maximum cold crystallisation rate. The structural changes of reprocessed PHBV had no significant effect on the non-isothermal crystallisation kinetics of this material. Additionally, the thermomechanical behaviour of reprocessed PHBV indicates that the technological waste of this biopolymer is suitable for recycling as a reusable additive to the virgin polymer matrix. In the case of reprocessed PLLA, on the other hand, a significant decrease in tensile and flexural strength (by 22% and 46%, respectively) was detected, which reflected changes within the biobased polymer structure. Apart from the elastic modulus, all the other thermomechanical properties of PLLA dropped down with an increasing level of recycling.

Ground tire rubber/polyamide 6 thermoplastic elastomers produced by dry blending and compression molding

This study investigates the addition of ground tire rubber (GTR) into virgin polyamide 6 (PA6) to produce thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) blends. In particular, a wide range of GTR concentration (0–100% wt.) was possible by using a simple dry blending technique of the materials in a powder form followed by compression molding. The molded samples were characterized in terms of morphological (scanning electron microscopy), physical (density and hardness) and mechanical (tension, flexion and impact) properties. The results showed a decrease in tensile and flexural moduli and strengths with GTR due to its elastomeric nature. However, significant increases were observed on the tensile elongation at break (up to 167%) and impact strength (up to 131%) compared to the neat PA6 matrix. Based on the results obtained, an optimum GTR content around 75% wt. was observed which represents a balance between high recycled rubber content and a sufficient amount of matrix to recover all the particles. These results represent a first step showing that a simple processing method can be used to produce low cost PA6/GTR compounds with a wide range of physical and mechanical properties.

Study of effect of multiple recycling on the mechanical properties of Sisal Fiber and Fly ash Reinforced hybrid Composites

Introduction: Recycling and reuse of the polymer composites have been gaining popularity these days due to their environmental and disposable concerns. However, the recyclability of natural fiber and fly ash reinforced polymer composite is still not explored much which has restrained the industries not to use them at full potential. Recycling of polymers, polymeric composites, and their wastes are trending nowadays. Researchers have used both recycled reinforcements such as paper, fiber, etc., with matrix and fresh reinforcement with recycled matrix too. In this regard, limited reports have been found on the recycling of the natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. In spite of this, when it comes to the recycling of degradable materials, it is still in the nascent phase. Recycling of the biodegradable materials may lose some of their original properties after every cycle (1). These lost tensile and flexural properties may be exhibited due to the fiber breakage, fiber degradation, change in fiber aspect ratio, and polymer chain shortening. Reinforcement of the recycled composites with fresh fibers to restore their lost tensile and flexural properties could open a new window for the researchers. Current work focuses on the recycling and subsequent reinforcement of the recycled composites to enhance the tensile and flexural properties of the same. Methods: Hybrid composites with 15-30 wt.% sisal fibers and 5-15 wt.% fly ash were formulated with impact modified polypropylene. The impact on mechanical properties due to the recycling and reinforcement was investigated. All the tensile, flexural, and impact testing samples have been fabricated by using Hakke rheomix and Hakke Minijet II micro injection molding machine (2). Results & Discussion: Composite with 15 wt.% sisal fibers showed a minimal ~2 % and ~2 % loss in tensile and flexural strength while the one with 30 wt.% fiber showed a maximum ~10 % and ~4 % loss respectively. In order to restore the lost mechanical properties, recycled composite have been reinforced with 5 wt.% natural fiber. The establishment of a good interfacial adhesion between reinforcing filler and fiber has been confirmed from FTIR studies. Strong interfacial interaction among reinforced SSL fiber and the blended matrix leads to a strong polymer composite. Although there is a decrease in tensile and flexural properties of the hybrid composite due to the increased reinforcement of fly ash, these are the still close to the base matrix. Also, an improvement in notched impact strength of the composite has been observed (3). Recycled, polymer composite samples show that the hybrid composites with highest fly ash content show the least decrease in tensile and flexural properties due to the non-breakage of fly ash particles. However, an insignificant change was, observed in impact strength of the recycled and reinforced composites. Conclusions: Recycling and reinforcement with 5 wt.% of FA of hybrid PP composites consisting of sisal fiber and fly-ash were successfully completed and evaluated. Fly ash plays a vital role in restricting the damage to the mechanical properties due to the recycling. Furthermore, inclusion of 5 wt.% of SSL fiber to the recycled composites sample helped in reclaiming lost mechanical properties. Keywords: Composite Recycling, Hybrid composite, Natural fiber, Fly ash

Polypropylene/ethylene propylene diene monomer/cellulose nanocrystal ternary blend nanocomposites: Effects of different parameters on mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties

AbstractIn the present study, the effect of dynamic vulcanization, mixing sequence, and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) content on mechanical, rheological, and thermal properties of the polypropylene/ethylene propylene diene monomer (PP/EPDM/CNC) ternary blend‐nanocomposites was investigated. Significant reduction in tensile and yield strengths occurred for the un‐vulcanized PP/EPDM blend compared to PP. Vulcanization and adding CNC have compensated for the decrease in tensile and yield strengths of the un‐vulcanized blend. The tensile and yield strengths of the vulcanized samples had almost a slight uptrend by adding CNC. Elongation at break for both nanocomposites types had slight changes compared to that of PP/EPDM‐thermoplastic vulcanizates and all of them were approximately in the range of 600%–700%. Adding CNC before or after vulcanization had the same effect on the trend of Young's modulus and the higher the amount of CNC, the greater the increase in Young's modulus. Incorporating and increasing the amount of CNC improved the impact strength of all samples, especially when added after vulcanization. Rheological measurements showed that vulcanization of PP/EPDM resulted in frequency independence of storage modulus and a more sharp increment in Complex viscosity. Also, the more CNC content, the more dramatic changes occurred in complex viscosity, especially in DV‐CNC nanocomposites. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis showed that all samples had higher crystallinity which was more significant for Dynamic vulcanization (DV)‐CNC nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscope images also indicated that the addition of CNC increased fracture surface roughness for all samples ignoring their preparation sequence.

Influence of Walnut (&lt;i&gt;Juglans &lt;/i&gt;L&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;) Shell Particles Addition on the Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composites

The primary objective of this research work is to explore the potential of walnut shell particles as a reinforcing agent in the thermoset matrix composite. Therefore, the number of composite samples was developed by varying the filler weight percentage (15%, 25%, 35%, and 45%) in an epoxy polymer. The composite samples were characterized in terms of mechanical properties by using tensile test, flexural or three-point bending test, Izod impact test, compression test, and Rockwell hardness test. Moreover, the effect of cellulosic filler content on the density and water absorptivity of epoxy-based composites was also investigated as per the ASTM standard. Agricultural waste in the form of walnut shell was characterized by the determination of grain size. The experimental results showed that the stiffness and hardness of epoxy thermoset were increased with the decrease in tensile and flexural strength after the addition of walnut shell fine particles. The composite of 35 wt% walnut filler exhibits a balanced combination of strength, stiffness, and toughness. It was found that the mechanical strength and modulus of filled composites were increased with the increase of filler content up to 35 wt%.

Influence of fabric properties, hybridization, and thermal aging on properties of flax/jute fibres reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

Mechanical properties (tensile and three-point flexural), physical properties (density and porosity rate), and thermal properties of flax, jute, and flax/jute fibres reinforced epoxy composites have been investigated. Laminate composites are fabricated by vacuum molding with a total fibre weight fraction maintained at 40%. Results show that the hybridization with jute fibres can significantly improve the mechanical properties of flax composites, while the thermal stability is decreased. The thermal aging at 250 °C during 400 h causes a decrease in tensile and flexural strength of the resulting composites, whereas their rigidity is increased. Morphological studies of fractured surfaces and the evaluation of porosity have been evaluated using scanning electron microscope and optical microscopy respectively