HYBRID COMPOSITE LAMINATES REINFORCED WITH BANANA-GLASS WOVEN FIBER FABRICS COMPOSITES AT DIFFERENT STACKING ORIENTATIONS FOR LOAD BEARING STRUCTURES

Abstract

 The development of composite materials using natural fibers has garnered significant global research interest. Banana fibers, due to their abundant availability and rapid growth cycle, present a promising option for composite material development. When combined with synthetic fibers to form hybrid composites, the resulting material may exhibit significantly improved properties, which is desirable for industrial manufacturing. The hybrid properties of such composites, however, remain largely unexplored and require thorough evaluation. This study investigates hybrid composite laminates reinforced with banana-glass woven fiber fabrics composites at different stacking orientations for load bearing structures. The composites were produced using non-crimp banana (BF) fiber and woven glass (WGF) fiber fabrics through the hand lay-up process with four distinct stacking sequences: [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-0⁰/WGF], [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-45⁰/WGF], [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-60⁰/WGF], and [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-90⁰/WGF]. Comprehensive mechanical testing, including tensile, flexural, impact, and hardness tests, along with environmental testing (water diffusion) was conducted in accordance with ASTM standards. Results indicated that the [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-0⁰/WGF] configuration exhibited the highest tensile strength, while the [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-60⁰/WGF] configuration achieved superior flexural strength. The [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-45⁰/WGF] configuration demonstrated the highest impact strength and energy absorption. Rockwell hardness testing revealed that the average hardness numbers for all orientations were approximately 78, which is considered moderate for composite materials. Water absorption tests showed maximum water saturation in [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF- 90⁰/WGF] of ~ 5.5 %, where the other laminates had water saturation between 4.5 and 4.9 %. The microscopic analysis of the [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-45⁰/WGF] laminate suggests fiber-matrix de-bonding and fiber pull-out as the major cause of failure under tensile and flexural loading. These findings suggest that the hybrid laminated composites, particularly the [WGF/BF-0⁰/BF-0⁰/WGF] and [WGF/BF- 0⁰/BF-45⁰/WGF] configurations, exhibit mechanical properties suitable for industrial applications.