Effect of stacking sequence on the performance of hybrid natural/synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates

• Published in: Composite structures 2021-11, Vol.276, p.114525, Article 114525
• Main Authors: Das, Subrata C., Paul, Debasree, Grammatikos, Sotirios A., Siddiquee, Md. A.B., Papatzani, Styliani, Koralli, Panagiota, Islam, Jahid M.M., Khan, Mubarak A., Shauddin, S.M., Khan, Ruhul A., Vidakis, Nectarios, Petousis, Markos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA); Gamma or ionizing radiation; Hybrid composites; Jute fiber composites; Natural fiber composites (NFCs); Scanning electron microscopy (SEM); Stacking sequence; Thermoset polymer matrix
• ISSN: 0263-8223; 1879-1085
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2021.114525

•The stacking sequence of natural/glass fiber reinforcement layers has great effect on the performance of hybrid laminates.•The amount and location of glass layers within hybrid laminates influences largely the performance of hybrid laminates.•Ionizing radiation is capable of improving the performance of composite laminates. Here, the effect of stacking sequence on the mechanical and thermomechanical properties of composites using natural fiber (jute), synthetic fiber (glass) and unsaturated polyester resin, is presented. The fabricated composite laminates were neat jute/polyester, neat glass/polyester, and hybrid jute/glass/polyester. It was revealed that neat glass/polyester laminate showed better mechanical performance than the other laminates, and glass fiber hybridization significantly affects the properties of the hybrid laminates. Furthermore, three selected composites were studied using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging. Lastly, to improve the mechanical properties of the developed composites, 1 kGy dose of γ-irradiation was applied. As a result, the tensile strength, bending strength, tensile modulus, and bending modulus was increased 10.7, 26.7, 21.5, 36.5% for neat jute/polyester composites; 6.2, 10.9, 50.3, 18.0% for neat glass/polyester composites; and 8.9, 11.9, 21.7, 19.9% for hybrid composites, respectively.