Physical and mechanical properties of kenaf/flax hybrid composites |
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Authors: | Khurshid Malik Faiz Ahmad Nurul Azhani Yunus Ebru Gunister Saad Ali Ali Raza |
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Affiliation: | 1. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia;2. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak, Malaysia
Contribution: Writing - review & editing (supporting);3. Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Istanbul Health and Technology University, Istanbul, Turkey
Contribution: Writing - review & editing (supporting) |
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Abstract: | This research investigates the physical and mechanical properties of hybrid composites made of epoxy reinforced by kenaf and flax natural fibers to investigate the hybridization influences of the composites. Pure and hybrid composites were fabricated using bi-directional kenaf and flax fabrics at different stacking sequences utilizing the vacuum-assisted resin infusion method. The pure and hybrid composites' physical properties, such as density, fiber volume fraction (FVF), water absorption capacity, and dimensional stability, were measured. The tests of tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear and fracture toughness (Mode II) were examined to determine the mechanical properties. The results revealed that density remained unchanged for the hybrid compared to pure kenaf/epoxy composites. The tensile, flexural, and interlaminar shear performance of flax/epoxy composite is improved by an increment of kenaf FVF in hybrid composites. The stacking sequence significantly affected the mechanical properties of hybrid composites. The highest tensile strength (59.8 MPa) was obtained for FK2 (alternative sequence of flax and kenaf fibers). However, FK3 (flax fiber located on the outer surfaces) had the highest interlaminar shear strength (12.5 MPa) and fracture toughness (3302.3 J/m2) among all tested hybrid composites. The highest water resistance was achieved for FK5 with the lowest thickness swelling. |
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Keywords: | flax fibers hybrid composite kenaf fibers mechanical properties structure–property relations |
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