Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites Research Articles

Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composite

Abstract: Hybrid composite is a material composed of matrix and two or more reinforcements. Two or more reinforcements in hybrid composite replace the limitation of conventional composites by providing uniform strength to thematerial. Recently, natural fibers reinforced hybrid composites are gaining increased interest due to the encouraging properties of natural fibers such as high strength to weight ratio, low cost, no harm to environment etc. Many studies dealt with natural fibers based composite reported that the hybrid composites has the potential to replace glass fiber based composites and to reduce the weight of conventional composite. This project reports on the manufacturing of the Indian elm and Acacia fibre reinforced epoxy composite laminate as per the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Standards. This laminate consists of matrix and reinforcement. Epoxy is used as a structural matrix material which is then reinforced by Indian elm fiber, combining Acacia fibres with resin matrix results in composites that are strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant and dimensionally stable. They also provide good design flexibility, high dielectric strength and act as inflammable materials. Their tremendous strength-to-weight and design flexibility make them ideal in structural components for the aerospace industry. In this project the Indian elm and Acacia fibre reinforced epoxy composite is manufactured into two different parts each having ratios of Indian elm and Acacia fibre to epoxy resin as 60:40, 40:60 respectively and are compared for ultimate tensile strength, impact strength, hardness strength and flexural strength of the material by conducting experiment such as tensile test, flexural test, hardness test and impact test.

Enhancing tribological performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites through machine learning and response surface methodology

Enhancing tribological performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites through machine learning and response surface methodology

Thermoplastic-polymer matrix composite of banana/betel nut husk fiber reinforcement: Physico-mechanical properties evaluation

Abstract Reinforced composite made of polypropylene combining banana and betel nut husk fiber (BBF) was treated with 10% NaOH (w/w). The fiber percentages of 40%, 50%, and 60% were used using the compression molding process. Properties such as tensile, bending, impact, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and water absorption were assessed as composite reinforcements. The composites with 50% BBF reinforcement performed better than composites with different fiber compositions. While 40% BBF-reinforced showed superior results in tensile, bending, and water absorption tests, the impact and TGA analyses provided comparatively lower results. The tensile strength (36 MPa), bending strength (78 MPa), energy absorption (2.4 Nm), thermal resistance (300–583°), and the maximum level of characteristics were attained. This work demonstrated the feasibility of repurposing waste banana stems and betel nut husks for interior decoration, furniture, and automobile bodies in fiber-reinforced hybrid composites, replacing expensive and environmentally hazardous artificial materials due to their mechanical capabilities.

Fabrication and Physico-mechanical Characterization of Short Natural/Synthetic Fiber–Reinforced Hybrid Composites: Effects of Biodegradation and Chemical Aging

The main goal of this study was to develop eco-friendly and low-cost multiple short natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites with the hybridization of comparatively high-strength glass fibers. The hybrid composites were fabricated via hand lay-up by using short jute, silk, water hyacinth, and glass fibers for the reinforcements and unsaturated polyester resin for the thermoset polymer matrix. The reinforcing fibers were randomly oriented, and five types of hybrid composites were fabricated with different types of fiber content (wt.%). The performance of the manufactured hybrid composites was assessed by tensile, flexural, and impact testing, as well as water uptake (%). It was revealed that composites with high glass fiber content (wt.%) exhibited optimum mechanical performance in most cases, while poor moisture resistance performance was exhibited for the hybrid composites containing higher natural fibers (wt.%). The hybrid composite samples were also aged in soil medium (biodegradation) for 25 days and different chemical solutions (alkaline, acidic, and salt) for 10 days. After biodegradation, the drop of tensile strength (TS) and tensile modulus (TM) was revealed to be approximately 38–61 and 58–72%, respectively. On the other hand, after chemical aging, the drop of TS and TM was exhibited to be approximately 49–76% and 51–65%, respectively, for alkali solution aging; 42–75% and 29–76%, respectively, for acid solution aging; and 43–59% and 51–65%, respectively, for salt solution aging.

Eco-Efficiency Performance for Multi-Objective Optimal Design of Carbon/Glass/Flax Fibre-Reinforced Hybrid Composites

An eco-efficiency optimisation study on unidirectional carbon/glass fibre-reinforced hybrid composites with natural fibre (i.e., flax) and without flax is presented in this paper. The mechanical performance was assessed by determining the flexural properties obtained via finite element analysis (FEA)-based simulation. Given the required flexural strength, optimal candidate designs were found using a set of design rules and regression analysis, with minimising the cost and weight being the objectives. An eco-efficiency framework was applied to determine the eco-efficient hybrid composites. Life cycle assessment was an indispensable component of the framework as it helped determine the life cycle environmental impacts and costs of the hybrid composite materials. The environmental impacts and cost values were converted to the eco-efficiency portfolios of these composites for both comparison and selection purposes. The hybrid composites using bio-based flax fibre have been found to be eco-efficient in most of the cases due to the avoidance of energy-intensive and expensive reinforcing materials. The environmental impacts of the hybrid composites using flaxes are 12 to 13% less than the ones using no flaxes and the former are 7 to 13% cheaper than the latter, making the flax-based hybrid composites eco-efficient.

Adapting a phenomenological model for predicting acoustical behaviour of Camellia sinensis/Ananas comosus/E-glass fibre-blended epoxy hybrid composites

Developing a hybrid phenomenological model for predicting the sound absorption coefficient of a pineapple leaf fibre/waste tea leaf fibre/glass fibre/epoxy-based natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composites is the predominant topic of this article. Phenomenological models excel at extrapolating characteristic impedance and wave number whereas empirical models require fewer inputs but overlook wave propagation in pores. Existing models apply only to single-fibre-reinforced composites, necessitating the creation of a hybrid model for hybrid composites. The developed hybrid Zwikker–Kosten and Johnson–Champoux–Allard model shows good agreement with experimental data across the frequency range, with standard deviations of 0.001–0.029 and percent deviations of 1.11%–11.43%. The overall noise reduction coefficient between the model and experiments is 0.31 vs. 0.30, with a 3.33% deviation. Furthermore, the application of alkali treatment increased the surface roughness which in turn, enhanced the sound absorption capabilities of these composites. The increased fibre roughness also amplified friction between fibres and sound waves, resulting in higher sound absorption coefficients. In addition, X-ray diffraction, thermal stability (thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry), and scanning electron microscopy examinations were performed on the designated composition (5% by weight of pineapple leaf fibre and 25% by weight of waste tea leaf fibre) of the pineapple leaf fibre/waste tea leaf fibre/glass fibre/epoxy-based natural fibre-reinforced hybrid composite.

Experimental investigation on the mechanical and acoustic performance of hemp/kenaf hybrid composites: Influence of different stacking sequences

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of various stacking sequences on the mechanical and acoustic characteristics of hemp and kenaf fibers reinforced hybrid composites. The mechanical study was done by using universal testing machine and izod imact tester. Further, acoustic study was done by using impendence tube method. Hemp/kenaf/kenaf/hemp hybrid laminates outperformed the other composites in terms of tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength. In the mono reinforcements, hemp/epoxy composites demonstrated superior mechanical characteristics than the epoxy matrix and kenaf/epoxy composites. However, hybrid composites have superior mechanical behavior compared to pure composites. From the acoustic results revealed that the pure hemp and kenaf/hemp/hemp/kenaf hybrid composites exhibitted highest sound transmission loss level at lowest and highest frequency region. The bestmechanical characteristics of hybrid composites will be suggested for use in automobile door panels. Also, the optimal sound transmission coefficent values signifying their appropriateness for use in applications that encompass many frequency bands.Highlights Hybridization of kenaf/hemp fibers Improved mechanical properties over the single fiber composites Better acoustic properties

Numerical prediction of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient of glass fiber-reinforced polymer hybrid composites filled with hollow spheres

The optimal performance of composites enriched with hollow spheres has been reported in contemporary literature, whereas their thermal properties have received less attention. In this regard, a finite element method (FEM)-based micromechanical model has been developed systematically to investigate the role of intra-matrix embedding of hollow spheres on the thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of unidirectional fiber-reinforced hybrid composites. In so doing, the concept of representative volume element (RVE) considers microstructures comprising an epoxy matrix, E-glass fiber, and E-glass hollow spheres, assuming perfect bonding (ideal interface) between the components and modified approximate periodic boundary conditions. By computing the longitudinal and transverse temperature gradients generated due to the application of uniform heat flux as well as the geometrical variation in RVE owing to temperature enhancement, thermal conductivity and CTE have been respectively determined. Comprehensive evaluations have been conducted to examine the effects of microstructural-level features, including fiber volume content and orientation, plus volume content and thickness of hollow spheres, on the effective thermal conductivity and CTE of pseudo-porous ternary E-glass/epoxy composites.

Experimental Study on Mechanical, Chemical and Acoustical Properties of Waste Tea Leaf Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Fibre reinforced polymer composites are employed instead of metal and wood because they are stronger, more lightweight, have a favourable strength to weight ratio, and are noncorrosive. In the current research, sisal, carbon fibre, and industrial waste tea leaf fibre (WTLF) reinforced hybrid epoxy composites are being examined for their chemical, mechanical and acoustical properties with experimental study. The sisal and WTLF were chemically treated with 5% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. By modifying the weight percentage of sisal and WTLF with a structure of 40 weight percent fibre and 60 weight percent matrix, five different compositions of natural fibre reinforced hybrid composites were fabricated using an automatic compression moulding technique. As per the ASTM standard the manufactured hybrid composites are tested for mechanical, chemical and acoustic characteristics. According to the experimental findings, sisal fibre with a 25 wt% and WTLF with a 5 wt% demonstrated superior mechanical properties, while these materials also demonstrated an excellent acoustic absorption coefficient (AAC) of 0.62 between the frequency range of 2000 to 6300 Hz. The morphology of failure samples revealed the matrix micro crack, void formation, fiber pullout and layers of fractured fibers which are being examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The superior bonding between fibre and matrix was seen in the FTIR study of 5% alkali treated composites.

Characterization of mechanical properties, efficiency, and design considerations for the additive manufacturing of hybrid composites with continuous fibers

The integration of continuous fibers into additively manufactured plastic components greatly enhances their mechanical properties. Nonetheless, a challenge lies in the limited adaptability of these properties to specific loading scenarios. To address this issue, present research aims to exploit the hybridization of additively manufactured composites, combining diverse fiber materials within a single component. Specifically, fabricating continuous fiber-reinforced hybrid composites through material extrusion enables high flexibility in adapting local fiber materials. To further the understanding of the effects of hybrid fiber reinforcement in additively manufactured plastic parts, this study investigates how distinct stacking sequences in hybrid and non-hybrid PA6-based composite components, reinforced with carbon and glass fibers, affect deformation and failure behavior. Mechanical properties are assessed using tensile, flexural, and impact tests, in conjunction with an analysis of cost and weight efficiency. The results unveil a distinct correlation between stacking sequences and the mechanical properties of additively manufactured composites. While the hybrid samples predominantly exhibit slight negative hybrid effects, a positive hybrid effect of 96.4 % is achieved in terms of impact toughness with an optimized stacking sequence. With the exception of impact strength, specimens reinforced solely with carbon fibers frequently demonstrate a remarkable ratio between mechanical properties, weight, and cost, whereas hybrid composites exhibit a balanced compromise across all tested mechanical properties. Building upon the obtained results, three comprehensive design approaches are introduced and applied, demonstrating the new design possibilities arising from the combination of hybrid composites and additive manufacturing. The developed design approaches and material combinations can be used for a wide range of lightweight construction applications.

Review of: "Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Sisal Fiber and Sugar Palm Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites"

Review of: "Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Sisal Fiber and Sugar Palm Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites"

Fiber Synergy of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Steel Fibers on the Bond Behavior of a Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite.

Based on multi-scale characteristics inherent in the cracking process of cementitious composites, fibers with different geometric dimensions are simultaneously used to restrain the formation and development of cracks at different scales. Accordingly, hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HyFRCCs) exhibit excellent bond behavior and deformation capacity in terms of tension and compression, accompanied by higher damage tolerance. Using these benefits of the mechanical properties of HyFRCCs, the structural performance of HyFRCC structures under complex loading conditions can be improved. To objectively evaluate the contributions of all fibers to the mechanical properties of HyFRCCs, steel macro-fibers, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) micro-fibers were used to design several reinforced cementitious composites. Four of the specimens were mono-fibrous cementitious composites, three specimens were cementitious composites reinforced with hybrid fibers, and one was a non-fibrous cementitious composite. The synergy effect of the steel and PVA fibers was analyzed using various fiber combinations. The results indicated a significant enhancement of the bonding properties of HyFRCCs through the incorporation of PVA and steel fibers. Specifically, the peak bond strength, peak slip displacement, and residual bond strength exhibited increments ranging from 31.0% to 41.7%, 60.6% to 118.4%, and 34.6% to 391.3%, respectively, in comparison to the reference test block. Notably, the combined presence of the PVA and steel fibers consistently demonstrated a positive confounding effect on the residual bond strength. However, negative confounding effects were observed in terms of the peak bond strength and peak slip displacement, particularly with 1.0% steel fiber content and 0.5% PVA fiber content.

The Behavior of Banyan (B)/Banana (Ba) Fibers Reinforced Hybrid Composites Influenced by Chemical Treatment on Tensile, Bending and Water Absorption Behavior: An Experimental and FEA Investigation

Natural fiber-based composites are highly prioritized in present industries due to their properties and benefits over synthetic fibers. Due to their biodegradable nature, banyan and banana fibers were used for the present work. This paper deals with an experimental and FEA investigation of the tensile and bending behavior of banyan (B) and banana (Ba)-reinforced composites with different volume fractions, such as 25B/25Ba, 30B/20Ba, and 35B/15Ba, with a 50% weight fraction of epoxy resin and different fiber orientations. The hybrid composites treated with a 5% NaOH solution have better results as compared to untreated hybrid composites, with a volume fraction of 30% banyan fibers and 20% banana fiber (30B/20Ba), giving greater tensile and flexural properties for both treated and untreated fiber composites when compared to other volume fraction composites at 0/0/0/0 orientation. The maximum tensile and bending strength was found in the 30B/20Ba volume fractions to be 63.37 MPa and 67.07 MPa, respectively. For treated fiber composites, water absorption increases with an increase in the duration of immersion in composites up to 144 h.

Mechanical properties and thermal characteristics of three nano-filler/silk fiber reinforced hybrid composites: A comparative study using a ductile epoxy resin matrix

In contemporary developments across automotive, aerospace, and military industries, there is an ever-growing demand for lightweight and robust polymer composites. In this study, a ductile epoxy resin, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), and silica nanoparticles were used to fabricate nano-fillers/epoxy composites and nano-fillers/silk fibers/epoxy hybrid composites through solution casting and hot pressing. Their mechanical properties and thermal characteristics were analyzed and compared, which show that: these nano-fillers can dramatically enhance the strength and stiffness of the ductile epoxy resin; however, this is achieved at the expense of its toughness and extensibility. CNT/silk fiber/epoxy hybrid composite has the highest tensile strength (81.10 MPa), Young's modulus (3.76 GPa) and impact strength (103.7 kJ/m2), while the CNFs-reinforced one exhibits the highest breaking energy (9.96 MJ/m3). These nano-fillers almost do not affect the thermal stability of the epoxy resin and silk fiber composites. In addition, the fracture modes of their reinforced composites were revealed by macroscopic and microscopic observations.

Retracted: Multiobjective Optimization of Mechanical Properties on Sisal-Glass Fiber-Reinforced Hybrid Composites Using Response Surface Methodology and LINGO Analysis

Retracted: Multiobjective Optimization of Mechanical Properties on Sisal-Glass Fiber-Reinforced Hybrid Composites Using Response Surface Methodology and LINGO Analysis

Analysis of the integrated performance of hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer composite used for thermal protection based on a dual-scale ablation model

In order to cope with more extreme aerothermodynamic environment, a dual-layer hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer composite (HFRP) was proposed as a thermal protection material. A dual-scale ablation model was developed to evaluate the performance of this composite, including a meso‑scale heat transfer model and a macro-scale ablation model, and the two models were effectively linked. The models were validated have good reliability. The meso‑scale thermal properties and macro-scale ablation performance of dual-layer HFRP were compared with those of traditional carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite (CFRP). The effect of thickness the of HFRP on the performance of dual-layer HFRP was also investigated. Finally, the integrated ablation resistance-insulation-lightweight design of the composite was comprehensively evaluated by Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The results show that the new composite proposed in this paper maintains good ablation resistance and light weight while the thermal insulation performance had significantly improved, especially when the thickness of the HFRP is 50 %, the comprehensive performance is optimal, and the warp yarn hybrid fiber-reinforced polymer composite (WaHFRP) has better performance. Dual-layer HFRP had obvious advantages to CFRP, and can be used as a reference in the design of thermal protection materials.

An experimental study on mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of waste hair-rattan hybrid fiber-reinforced composite

An experimental study on mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of waste hair-rattan hybrid fiber-reinforced composite

Numerical study on the design of flax/bamboo fiber reinforced hybrid composites under bending load

Natural fiber-based composites are essential for the environment in this era of depletion of petroleum resources and for new green environmental rules, as they have limited detrimental behavior or response against the environment. In this paper, firstly, the suitability of replacing glass fiber with natural bamboo fiber in a flax/glass/epoxy hybrid composite under a fixed bending load is investigated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software ABAQUS with proper model validation. Finally, five different lay-up sequences of flax/bamboo/epoxy hybrid composite laminate for fixed volume fractions of flax and bamboo strips are investigated numerically to develop design strategies for binary hybrid composite. It is found that the bending stiffness and equivalent modulus of elasticity for model FB-1 are increased by 37.53 % and 37.52 % respectively compared to the base model while the energy absorption for model FB-3 is highest which is 105.89 % higher than the base model. Analysis of various lay-up sequences showed that flexural behavior can be improved by fabricating binary hybrid composites using the concept of a sandwich structure. It is shown that all highly stiff laminas should be placed on the outer sides of the composite to achieve the maximum bending stiffness whereas they should be placed at the center to attain the maximum energy absorption.

Multi-objective optimal design for carbon and basalt fibre-reinforced hybrid composites under flexural loading

This paper presents a study on the optimal design of hybrid composites reinforced by woven carbon and basalt fibre fabrics. The investigation focuses on evaluating the flexural properties of these hybrid composites through finite element analysis (FEA)-based simulations. To determine potential optimal stacking sequences, design rules are employed. For each stacking sequence, a regression model is developed to establish the correlation between the flexural strength and the fibre volume fractions. Using these regression models, solutions meeting the minimum required flexural strength are found for each stacking sequence. With the objectives of minimising both cost and weight, the optimal solutions are found from these solutions. It is shown that for most optimal solutions, basalt/epoxy and carbon/epoxy plies should be placed on the compressive and tensile sides, respectively. When the minimum required flexural strength is high (800 MPa or 900 MPa), sandwich type stacking sequences with carbon/epoxy plies on both the compressive and tensile sides can also be the optimal solutions. Key findings from this study include.1. Stacking sequences [C]8, [B2C6], [B2C2BC3], [B2C2]2, [B2C2B3C], [B2CB4C], and [B7C] are optimal solutions for all minimum flexural strengths.2. Stacking sequences [B3C]2 and [B]8 are optimal solutions when the minimum flexural strength is up to 800 MPa.3. Stacking sequence [BC7] can be one of the optimal solutions when the minimum flexural strength is 600 MPa or 700 MPa.4. Stacking sequence [C4B2C2] is one of the optimal solutions when the minimum flexural strength is 800 MPa or 900 MPa, and stacking sequence [C3B3C2] is one of the optimal solutions when the minimum flexural strength is 900 MPa.

Impact Resistance of 3D-Printed Continuous Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Composites.

Improving the resilience of 3D-printed composites through material extrusion technology (MEX) is an ongoing challenge in order to meet the rigorous requirements of critical applications. The primary objective of this research was to enhance the impact resistance of 3D-printed composites by incorporating continuous hybrid fibers. Herein, continuous virgin carbon (1k) and Kevlar (130D and 200D) fibers were used with different weight and volume fractions as reinforcing fibers to produce hybrid and non-hybrid composites for impact resistance testing to obtain energy absorption with different impact energies: 20 J, 30 J, 40 J, and 50 J. Moreover, 0°/90° fiber orientations were used. Hybrid composites with combinations of PLA + CF + 130D KF and PLA + CF + 200D KF showed higher impact resistance, less damaged areas (71.45% to 90.486%), and higher energy absorption (5.52-11.64% more) behaviors compared to PLA + CF non-hybrids. CT scan images provided strong evidence to resist the fracture and breakage patterns, because the stiffness and elongation properties of the fibers acted together in the hybrids specimens. Furthermore, positive hybrid effects of the PLA + CF + KF hybrids also showed an ideal match of toughness and flexibility in order to resist the impacts. In the future, these hybrids will have the potential to replace the single type of composites in the fields of aerospace and automobiles.