Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites Research Articles

Effects of Hybrid PVA–Steel Fibers on the Mechanical Performance of High-Ductility Cementitious Composites

Producing high-ductility cementitious composites (HDCC) increased in parallel with concrete demand in China recently. However, the high cost of manufacturing cementitious composites (HDCC) persists. To reduce the cost of HDCC, steel fibers, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and river sand were used to produce HDCC concrete in the present study. A total fiber content of 2% was formed with five different proportions of PVA fiber and steel fiber. Within the scope of the experimental studies, mechanical (workability, compressive strength, tensile, and bending properties), and microstructural (scanning electron microscopy) tests were carried out to investigate the properties of the hybrid fiber-reinforced composites. The results showed that the fluidity of HDCC increased with increasing steel fiber substitution. The compressive strength of the mixture containing 0.5% steel fiber and 1.5% PVA fiber exhibited a better compressive strength of 31.3 MPa. The tensile performance of the mixture was improved due to the incorporation of steel fiber. The initial cracking strength was about 2.32 MPa, 25.4% higher than that of the reference group, and the ultimate tensile strength was 3.36–3.56 MPa. However, reducing the content of PVA fiber impacts the flexural rigidity of the matrix.

Influence of Oil Palm Nano Filler on Interlaminar Shear and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Flax/Epoxy-Based Hybrid Nanocomposites under Cryogenic Condition

Natural fiber-reinforced polymer composites are gaining in popularity due to recyclability and availability. This research investigates how oil palm shell (OPS) filler materials impact the interlaminar shear and the dynamic properties of flax fiber-reinforced hybrid composites under cryogenic circumstances. Filler materials in two different proportions (0, 2, 4, and 6 wt.% OPS) and 40 wt.% flax fibers were used to make composites. The OPS filler-filled polymeric materials were invented through typical hand lay-up. The hybrid materials were imperiled to liquid nitrogen for varying amounts of time after production (15 and 30 min). According to the findings, OPS nanoparticles can be used as natural rather than artificial fillers. Furthermore, loading 4 wt.% OPS nanoparticles into organic fabric-strengthened epoxy polymeric materials during 15 min of cryogenic settings resulted in the best interlaminar shear and dynamic performances. The storage and loss modulus of the flax/epoxy composites were improved by adding a 4% OPS nanofiller. The improvement can be ascribed to the hardness and stiffness of the additional OPS nanofillers. The 4% nano-OPS/flax/epoxy hybrid nanocomposite’s damping factor was substantially reduced compared to the flax/epoxy composites. The OPS nanofiller limits the epoxy molecular chain’s free segmental mobility, resulting in a lower damping factor and enhancing the adherence among flax fibers and the epoxy resin. The shattered specimen of the hybrid materials was investigated using a scanning electron microscope.

Effect of fiber constituent in matrix on cyclic behavior of PVA-Steel hybrid Fiber-Reinforced cementitious composites columns with mild steel rebar

This study aims to investigate the seismic performance of reinforced cementitious composites columns strengthen by different fibers addition strategies. Six fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs) columns are tested under reversed cyclic loading to explore the impact of Cementitious composites with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and hybrid cementitious composites simultaneously containing PVA and steel (ST) fibers on hysteresis behavior of the columns, in which fiber dosage and the combination proportion of PVA and ST fibers in composites are focused. The structural performance of the tested columns is evaluated based on the characteristics of the cracking behavior, ductility, load-carrying capacity, stiffness degradation, energy-dissipation capacity, and strain profiles of the reinforcements. The test results indicate that columns with 2 % vol. fibers compared to those including 1 % vol. fibers presented the better performance in terms of cracking behavior, ductility, and energy dissipation. The cementitious composites reinforced by 1.5 % vol. PVA + 0.5% vol. ST fibers contributes to the column characterized by optimum ductility in comparison to all columns with the other fibers. The highest energy dissipation capacity among the tested columns is observed in the case of the composites with 1 % vol. PVA + 1 % vol. ST fibers. The column with 0.5 % vol. PVA + 0.5 % vol. ST fibers manifests the better load carrying capacity over the rest of columns.

Characterization Of Jute/Aramid Hybrid Composite Materials with Using Different Resins

For the last twenty to thirty years, interest in the use of hybrid fiber-reinforced composites has gradually increased due to their potential for various applications. The balanced strength and stiffness properties of hybrid composites, along with the advantages of lighter weight and lower cost, have made them an important step toward replacing traditional materials. In this study, a hybrid composite was made from a combination of Jute fabric from natural fibers, Aramid fabric from synthetic fibers, and two different resins (polyester and vinylester). This type of study was proposed because there is little research in the literature on how the use of polyester and vinyl ester resins affects the mechanical properties of homogeneous composites and hybrid composites. The vacuum assisted resin transfer molding process was used for the fabrication. The mechanical properties of the manufactured products were determined by tensile and hardness tests, and their morphological structures were examined by taking scanning electron microscope images. The results indicate that the value of tensile strength and elastic modulus of the Jute/Aramid hybrid samples in the productions prepared with polyester resin is 37.6% and %12.28, respectively, higher than in those made with vinyl ester resin. When comparing the values for microhardness, the results of the Jute/Aramid hybrid specimens produced with polyester resin were 1.20 times higher than those produced with vinyl ester resin. Scanning electron microscope images of the samples also clearly show that the bonding between matrix and fiber is better in polyester resin samples.

Fabrication and Investigation on Basalt Fiber and Jute Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites

Composite materials are created by carefully combining two or more components to get a beneficial result. a system of materials made up of two or more physically distinct phases that, when combined, create aggregate properties that are distinct from those of their individual components. The fibre’s function is to give the product strength, bind the filaments together into a matrix, and shield the fibres from the elements. On a weight-to-weight ratio, composites are a class of materials that are stronger and more rigid than any other traditional engineering material. We employ in daily life. Other extremely intriguing options for further weight reduction include altering the volume proportion of fibre and resin in the component and aligning the orientation of the fibre along the direction of load. To create the hybrid natural fibre composites, the current experimental investigation intends to. Samples of a variety of jute, basalt, and polyester hybrid natural fibres will be created utilising the hand layup process, where the weight fraction of the fibre matrix is at various percentages and the stacking of the plies is alternated. Composites' void content rises as both the fibre loading and the fibre length increase. Composites with a 25wt% fibre loading demonstrate a better hardness value as far as the influence of fibre loading is concerned. Tensile strength diminishes after 25%, hence tensile modulus is appropriate for average weight percentage of fibre loading, or 25wt%.

Experimental investigation on jute/snake grass/kenaf fiber reinforced novel hybrid composites with annona reticulata seed filler addition

Natural fiber composites are hybridized nowadays to explore the synergetic effect of more fibers used in the properties of the composites. The natural fiber hybrid composite made with filler material has excellent wear resistance characteristics. This research work examined the mechanical properties, namely tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear strength, impact strengths, and hardness of the natural fiber reinforced hybrid composite that uses jute, snake grass, and kenaf fibers as reinforcement with various fiber volumes. Further, the wear behavior of the hybrid composites was enhanced by using Annona reticulata (custard apple) seed powder as a filler material. This study revealed that the sample has an equal proportion (12.5% of each) of snake grass and kenaf fiber (without filler) has excellent mechanical strengths. The wear behavior of the sample with 5 wt% filler shows a lower wear rate than other samples.

Post curing temperature effect on mechanical characterization of jute/basalt fiber reinforced hybrid composites

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites have a fast-growing performance in many areas of engineering as a replacement for metallic materials due to their low density, low cost, specific mechanical characteristics, and lower energy consumption. The efficiency of fiber-reinforced polymer composites at high temperatures is an issue that requires to be well investigated before this type of composite can be used in important engineering fields. The aim of this study is to examine the change in mechanical properties of homogeneous and hybrid composites prepared from epoxy resin reinforced with jute fabric and basalt fabric at three diverse post-curing temperatures (50°C, 70°C, and 90°C). The vacuum- assisted resin transfer molding process was used to fabricate the laminated composites. The tensile strength and microhardness values of post- cured homogeneous and hybrid composite samples were determined by tensile tests and Vickers hardness measurements. A water absorption test was also performed to determine the water absorption capacity of the fabricated composites. After tensile testing of the fabricated structures, the effect of post-curing temperatures on the interaction of the fiber-matrix interface was investigated by scanning electron microscopy analysis. The results indicate that with increasing the post-curing temperature from 50 °C to 90 °C, an improvement of 45.48% in tensile strength and 34.65% in hardness is achieved for the hybrid composites. Moreover, the results of the water absorption test show that the increased post-curing temperature reduces the water absorption capacity of the hybrid composites by 3.53 times.

Characterization of Mechanical and Damping Properties of Nettle and Glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composites

Growing environmental concerns are becoming significant challenges for large-scale applications in the automotive industry. Replacing and hybridizing glass fibers with natural fibers for non-structural applications is one effective way to address this challenge, while retaining the useful properties of both. This paper investigates the mechanical and damping performance of four types of compression-molded materials: polyester matrix (reference), nettle (6% by weight), hybrid 1 (6% glass and 6% nettle by weight), and hybrid 2 (12% glass and 6% nettle by weight), with polyester matrix at an ambient temperature. The tensile tests using digital image correlation (DIC) showed that by adding 6% by weight nettle fibers for polymer matrix tensile modulus increases by 21%. For the hybrid 1 two-layer composite (6% by weight glass and 6% by weight nettle) and the hybrid 2 three-layer composite (12% by weight glass and 6% by weight nettle), it increases by 80% and 101%, respectively. On the other hand, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) has been used to assess the damping properties of the materials. The results showed that the loss factor increased by 6~14% for nettle reinforced composite, by 8~25% for hybrid 1 glass-nettle reinforced composite and by 2~15% for hybrid 2 glass-nettle reinforced composite for frequencies around 1.0~2.0 Hz and around 12 Hz corresponding to vehicle body and suspension natural frequencies, respectively. These results showed that glass fibers can be replaced by nettle fibers without compromising performance.

Mechanical Behavior of Epoxy Reinforced by Hybrid Short Palm/Glass Fibers

Natural fibers (NFs) have recently been the center of attention among researchers due to their low cost, availability, ease of manufacture, and potential environmental friendliness as reinforcing agents in composites. The present work deals with the mechanical behavior of palm fiber-reinforced epoxy-based composites with different weight percentage (Wt.%) ratios, ranging from 6% to 31.6%. Glass and hybrid fiber-reinforced epoxy-based composites were also examined. The indirect tensile test, i.e., diametral tensile test (DTT) and the small punch test (SPT), were used in the present work to determine the mechanical properties of the epoxy reinforced with discontinuous random oriented short fibers. Furthermore, short glass fibers were used to compare with palm fiber-reinforced epoxy. In addition, morphology observations of epoxy residue clinging to the natural fibers were carried out using the optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the natural fiber has a better adhesion bonding between the palm fiber/epoxy than that of glass fiber/epoxy. Therefore, adding palm fibers improves epoxy’s mechanical properties compared with synthetic glass fibers. The composite with high Wt.% of NF showed the highest diametral tensile strength (DTS), 21.74 MPa, over other composites. The DTS of composites with medium and low Wt.% of NF was lower than that of the high Wt.% by 14% and 30%, respectively.

Investigation and analysis of sound-absorbing properties of waste tea leaf fiber as fillers in pineapple leaf/glass fiber-reinforced composites

To control the noise pollution through sound absorption, the development of natural fiber-reinforced hybrid composites (NFRHCs) using waste tea leaf fibers (WTLFs) and pineapple leaf fibers as reinforcing materials with epoxy matrix will act as an initial step to address this issue. Also, a minimal additional reinforcement of glass fibers was added for achieving mechanical strength too. The fabricated samples underwent a sound absorption test for assessing their capability of absorbing unwanted noise. With the help of sound absorption coefficient (SAC) curves acquired from the impedance tube method, the effects of the weight fraction and mass densities of WTLF and the thicknesses of the fabricated composites on their sound absorption ability were investigated. From the investigation, it was found that the noise reduction coefficient of the developed NFRHCs was more than 0.7 at a broad frequency spectrum. The fractal dimensions were estimated using the MATLAB program by utilizing the box-counting dimension method to correlate the effects of porosity percentage with weight fractions and mass densities of WTLF and the thicknesses of the fabricated NFRHCs. Following that, a quantitative relationship between the fractal dimension and SACs of the developed NFRHCs was derived to offer a theoretical concept for the future design of similar sound-absorbing materials.

Carbon and natural fiber reinforced polymer hybrid composite: Processes, applications, and challenges

Composites have recently emerged as the ideal material for weight reduction in a wide range of technical applications. Hybrid composites offer special properties that enable them to meet a wide range of design objectives more efficiently and affordably than conventional composites. Natural fiber-based hybrid composites are also less damaging to the environment and have a reduced carbon footprint. The hybridization of natural fibres with synthetic fibres can substantially minimise the problems associated with natural fibre composites, since the advantages of one kind of fibre can outweigh the disadvantages of another. Several research have been carried out to investigate the different characteristics of carbon-natural fibre reinforced hybrid composites and to evaluate their suitability for a variety of technological applications. The objective of this work is to provide an overview of the materials and manufacturing processes currently utilised to fabricate carbon-natural fibre reinforced hybrid composites. This paper also attempts to discuss the reported mechanical, damping, and other characteristics of the resultant hybrid composites. This article provides a factual overview of the development accomplished so far in the field of hybrid composites constructed from carbon-natural fibres.

Mechanical Characterization of Graphene-Hexagonal Boron Nitride-Based Kevlar-Carbon Hybrid Fabric Nanocomposites.

Polymer nanocomposites have been gaining attention in recent years. The addition of a low content of nanomaterials into the matrix improves mechanical, wear, thermal, electrical, and flame-retardant properties. The present work aimed to investigate the effect of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles on Kevlar and hybrid fiber-reinforced composites (FRP). Composites are fabricated with different filler concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.% by using a hand layup process. Characterizations like tensile, flexural, hardness, and impact strength were evaluated separately, heat deflection and viscosity properties of the epoxy composites. The dynamic viscosity findings indicated that a higher concentration of filler material resulted in nano-particle agglomeration. Graphene filler showed superior properties when compared to hexagonal boron nitride filler. Graphene showed optimum mechanical properties at 0.3 wt.%, whereas the hBN filler showed optimum properties at 0.5 wt.%. As compared to Kevlar composites, hybrid (carbon–Kevlar) composites significantly improved properties. As compared to graphene-filled composites, hexagonal boron nitride-filled composites increased scratch resistance. Digimat simulations were performed to validate experimental results, and it was observed that hybrid fabric composites exhibited better results when compared to Kevlar composites. The error percentage of all composites are within 10%, and it was concluded that hybrid–graphene fiber composites exhibited superior properties compared to Kevlar composites.

ENHANCEMENT OF MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR THROUGH HYBRIDIZATION OF KENAF WITH BASALT FIBER IN REINFORCED VACUUM BAGGED POLYMER COMPOSITE

"Many researchers concentrate on designing and developing natural hybrid fiber-reinforced composites due to their tremendous merits in terms of mechanical and thermal behaviors, and biodegradability. The present work developed hybrid composites using the vacuum bagging method with woven kenaf and basalt fiber reinforcement. Six hybrid composites, with five stacks in six different stacking sequences, were produced and compared with five stacks of layered composite made of individual basalt and kenaf fiber, respectively, to analyze mechanical properties, such as tensile, flexural, compression, impact, hardness, thickness swelling and water absorption, according to ASTM standards. Results revealed that the tensile, compressive and flexural properties, as well as water absorption (hydrophobic behaviour) and thickness swelling, of basalt fiber reinforced laminates were better compared with those of kenaf fiber-reinforced laminates and of kenaf and basalt fiber hybrids. Laminates with basalt fiber as the outermost layer showed good hardness and impact strength results. Morphological analyses were carried out on fractured composite samples, using scanning electron microscopy to study the failure modes."

Experimental investigation of morphological and mechanical properties of SiC-neem-coir fiber reinforced hybrid composite

ABSTRACT The present work is the novel investigation of a hand layup fabricated hybrid epoxy matrix composite with silicon carbide and neem-coir natural fibers as primary and secondary reinforcements respectively. The hybrid composites were fabricated at varying volume fractions of reinforcements to determine the influence of reinforcements composition on the physical performance of the resulting composite. The fabricated hybrid composites were characterized for mechanical behaviour by tensile and hardness tests. The fiber-matrix interfacial layer was examined by microscopy for morphological behaviour, and the composition was examined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The analysis revealed that among the three fabricated composite combinations, the hybrid epoxy matrix SiC-neem-coir reinforcement composite exhibited the peak tensile strength of 53 MPa and the Shore D hardness of 78.1. Enhancement in flexural strength was obtained for the hybrid composite with natural fiber volume fractions of 6% and 3% for neem and coir respectively. The morphological analysis revealed that silicon carbide as primary reinforcement was effective in improving mechanical properties of the composite, but with inconsistent property enhancements. The addition of neem-coir as secondary reinforcements in varying compositions exhibited bolstering effects on the mechanical properties of the composite and maintaining consistency of enhancement over various composition samples.

Interlaminar shear strength and failure analysis of composite laminates with double and triple hybrid configurations

Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of fiber-reinforced hybrid composites was investigated for double and triple fiber hybridizations. For this purpose, woven carbon, glass, and Kevlar fibers were used for the production of hybrid composites with different stacking sequences. Hybrid samples had a quasi-isotropic structure, and they were subjected to the short beam shear (SBS) tests according to the ASTM D2344 standard. Failure and fracture surfaces of the samples were analyzed along the loading direction with the help of microscopic photos. The degree of the hybridization effects was determined with concerning the rule of mixture in terms of ILSS and peak load, separately. Additionally, a statistical one-way ANOVA analysis for hybrid composites showing significant differences between the results was performed. The results from this study indicated that the location of fibers in the hybrid composites was a key factor regarding the ILSS and failure mechanism along the out-of-plane direction.

Effect of wood filler on the mechanical and thermal behavior of polypropylene/short glass/short carbon fiber-reinforced hybrid composites

Effect of wood filler on the mechanical and thermal behavior of polypropylene/short glass/short carbon fiber-reinforced hybrid composites

Experimental study on strength and flexural toughness properties of waste fishing net hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites

In this study, the flexural response of waste fishing net hybrid fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (WFN-HFRCCs) was experimentally investigated to evaluate the hybrid effect of WFN fibers. Three different WFN fibers, 40 mm macro-WFN fiber and two micro-WFN fibers, and two different mix compositions (1.0%, 0.5 + 0.5%) were used to investigate the hybrid effect. The effect of micro-WFN fibers was confirmed by 25% reduced free shrinkage compared to control. WFN-HFRCCs containing both macro- and micro-WFN fibers exhibited 29% increased flexural toughness and 78% improved residual strength than the WFN-FRCCs produced with single WFN fibers. Reinforced samples (WFN-HFRCCs) with hand-cut macro-WFN fibers and grinded waste rope fibers (HNRs) exhibited the highest compressive strength, flexural strength, and residual strength, whereas they did not show significant improvements in the shrinkage and rapid chloride penetration test results. The compressive strength and residual strength of WFN-HFRCCs with HNR were 11% and 100% higher, respectively, than those of the WFN-FRCCs. Thus, the hybrid effect of the WFN fibers was confirmed from the improved strength and ductility under flexural load.

Granite Powder Influence on the Static Mechanical Properties of Tapsi fiber-reinforced Hybrid Composites: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT Strength, weight, stiffness, environmental friendliness, and ease of manufacture are the key considerations for the selection of materials for today’s engineering applications. In this study, the hybrid composite was developed by reinforcing the alkali-treated tapsi fiber and micro granite filler into a polyester matrix using the hand lay-up method. Tapsi fiber is inexpensive, available in abundance, and the necessary amount of fiber needs to be prepared with minimal effort. Micro granite powder is one of the unused industrial wastes produced by the granite industry. Five different hybrid composite samples were created by keeping the tapsi fiber content constant at 20 wt.% and altering the micro granite powder content in polyester resin from 0 wt.% to 20 wt.%. Mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strengths were evaluated to assess the hybrid composite’s load-bearing capabilities. Other characterizations such as FTIR and SEM are conducted to verify the applicability of hybrid composites in temperature, chemical, and humid environments. In addition, the tracing of chemical bonds for hybrid composites can be done using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The load-bearing capacity and transferability of the hybrid composite were solely based on the bonding of the fiber reinforcement, the filler, and polymer resin.

Multi-objective optimal design of carbon and glass reinforced hybrid composites based on design rules

An optimisation study on the carbon and glass fibre reinforced hybrid composites in three-point bending is presented in this paper. For both unidirectional and multi-directional hybrid composites, the flexural properties were obtained by Finite Element Analysis (FEA)-based simulation. Several design rules were derived, and optimisation was done by applying these rules, with minimising the cost and weight being the objectives and the flexural strength being the constraint. The results from the design rule-based optimisation were compared with those from the non-dominated sorting GA-II (NSGA-II).

Effect of stacking sequence of glass and jute fiber reinforced polymer composites on their low velocity impact properties

This paper investigated the effect of stacking sequence on the low velocity impact behavior of glass and jute fiber reinforced hybrid composites. The hand layup method is used to fabricate the composites with various stacking sequences. The low velocity impact analysis was carried out at various impact energies, namely 5 J, 10 J and 15 J. Dye penetrant inspection (liquid penetrate inspection) was performed to analyses the damage area in the composites. Compression after impact (CAI) testing was conducted to study the compression strength of the composites after the impact. The study revealed that the jute fiber composites exhibited better results in terms of energy absorption, but the damage area of the composites was higher, compared to the other specimens fabricated. Meanwhile, hybrid composite S7 presented high energy absorption and the minimum damage area. To conclude, the hybrid composite S7 appeared to have the optimum formulation, showing better results in energy absorption, with lower damage and higher compression strength.