Abstract
The use of cellulosic fibers as reinforcing materials in polymer composites has gained popularity due to an increasing trend for developing sustainable materials. In the present experimental study, flax and glass fiber reinforced partially eco-friendly hybrid composites are fabricated with two different fiber orientations of 0° and 90°. The mechanical properties of these composites such as tensile, flexural and impact strengths have been evaluated. From the experiments, it has been observed that the composites with the 0° fiber orientation can hold the maximum tensile strength of 82.71 MPa, flexural strength of 143.99 MPa, and impact strength of 4 kJ/m2. Whereas the composites with 90° fiber orientation can withstand the maximum tensile strength of 75.64 MPa, flexural strength of 134.86 MPa, and impact strength of 3.99 kJ/m2. Morphological analysis is carried out to analyze fiber matrix interfaces and the structure of the fractured surfaces by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The finite element analysis (FEA) has been carried out to predict the resulting important mechanical properties by using ANSYS 12.0. From the results it is found that the experimental results are very close to the results predicted from FEA model values. It is suggested that these hybrid composites can be used as alternate materials for pure synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composite materials.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Duflou JR, Yelin D, Acker KV, Dewulf W (2014) Comparative impact assessment for flax fibre versus conventional glass fibre reinforced composites: Are bio-based reinforcement materials the way to go?. CIRP ANN-Manuf Techn 63:45–48
Scida D, Assarar M, Poilane C, Ayad R (2013) Influence of hygrothermal ageing on the damage mechanisms of flax-fiber reinforced epoxy composite. Compos. Part B: Eng 48:51–58
Thakur VK, Singha AS, Thakur MK (2013) Eco-friendly bio-composites from natural fibers: mechanical and weathering study. Int J Polym Anal Ch 18(1):64–72
Bullions T, Hoffman D, Gillespie R, Price-O’Brien J, Loos A (2006) Contributions of feather fibers and various cellulose fibers to the mechanical properties of polypropylene matrix composites. Compos Sci Technol 66:102–114
Thakur VK, Thakur MK, Gupta RK (2014) Review: Raw natural fiber–based polymer composites. Int J Polym Anal Ch 19(3):256–271
Hajj NE, Dheilly RM, Goullieux A, Aboura Z, Benzeggagh ML, Quéneudec M (2012) Innovant agromaterials formulated with flax shaves and proteinic binder: Process and characterization. Compos Part B: Eng 43:381–390
Li Y, Xie L, Ma H (2015) Permeability and mechanical properties of plant fiber reinforced hybrid composites. Mater Des 86:313–320
Gujjala R, Ojha S, Acharya SK, Pal SK (2013) Mechanical properties of woven jute-glass hybrid-reinforced epoxy composite. Journal of Composite Materials doi:10.1177/0021998313501924
Ramesh M, Palanikumar K, Reddy KH (2013) Mechanical property evaluation of sisal-jute-glass fiber reinforced polyester composites. Compos Part B: Eng 48:1–9
Ramesh M, Palanikumar K, Reddy KH (2013) Comparative evaluation on properties of hybrid glass fiber-sisal/jute reinforced epoxy composites. Pro Eng 51:745–750
Bhoopathi R, Deepa C, Sasikala G, Ramesh M (2015) Experimental investigation on mechanical properties of hemp-banana-glass fiber reinforced composites. Appl Mech Mater 766-767:167–172
Ramesh M, Nijanthan S, Palanikumar K (2015) Processing and mechanical property evaluation of kenaf-glass fiber reinforced polymer composites. Appl Mech Mater 766-767:187–192
Latha PS, Rao MV, Kumar VVK, Raghavendra G, Ojha S, Ramuinala (2015) Evaluation of mechanical and tribological properties of bamboo–glass hybrid fiber reinforced polymer composite. Journal of Industrial Textiles doi:10.1177/1528083715569376
Yan L, Chouw N, Jayaraman K (2014) Flax fiber and its composites–A review. Compos Part B: Eng 56:296–317
Snoeck D, Nele DB (2012) Mechanical and self-healing properties of cementitious composites reinforced with flax and cottonised flax, and compared with polyvinyl alcohol fibers. Biosyst Eng 11:325–335
Mussig J, Stevens C (2010) Industrial applications of natural fibers: structure, properties and technical applications, Wiley. doi:10.1002/9780470660324
Kannan TG, Wu CM, Cheng KB (2014) Influence of laminate lay-up, hole size and coupling agent on the open hole tensile properties of flax yarn reinforced polypropylene laminates. Compos Part B: Eng 57:80–85
Migom K (1996) Evaluatie van het gebruik van vlasvezels als versterking in composite materialen. Eindwerk Mechelen: De Nayer instituut: Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst
Van Dam JEG, et al. (1994) Increased application of domestically produced plant fibres in textiles. pulp and paper production and composite materials. European Commission – Science. Research and Development
Zhang D, Milanovic NR, Zhang Y, Su F, Miao M (2014) Effects of humidity conditions at fabrication on the interfacial shear strength of flax/unsaturated polyester composites. Compos Part B: Eng 60:186–192
Sawsen C, Fouzia K, Mohamed B, Moussa G (2015) Effect of flax fibers treatments on the rheological and the mechanical behavior of a cement composite. Construct Build Mater 79:229–235
Guen MJL, Newman RH, Fernyhough A, Staiger MP (2014) Tailoring the vibration damping behaviour of flax fiber-reinforced epoxy composite laminates via polyol additions. Compos Part A: Appl Sci Manuf 67:37–43
Shah DU, Porter D, Vollrath F (2014) Can silk become an effective reinforcing fibre? A property comparison with flax and glass reinforced composites. Compos Sci Technol 101:173–183
Marrot L, Bourmaud A, Bono P, Baley C (2014) Multi-scale study of the adhesion between flax fibers and biobased thermoset matrices. Mater Des 62:47–56
Liang S, Guillaumat L, Gning PB (2015) Impact behaviour of flax/epoxy composite plates. Int J Impact Eng 80:56–64
Liang S, Gning PB, Guillaumat L (2015) Quasi-static behaviour and damage assessment of flax/epoxy composites. Mater Des 67:344–353
Yan L, Chouw N, Jayaraman K (2015) Effect of UV and water spraying on the mechanical properties of flax fabric reinforced polymer composites used for civil engineering applications. Mater Des 71:17–25
Liang S, Gning PB, Guillaumat L (2014) Properties evolution of flax/epoxy composites under fatigue loading. Int J Fatigue 63:36–45
Zhang Y, Li Y, Ma H, Yu T (2013) Tensile and interfacial properties of unidirectional flax/glass fiber reinforced hybrid composites. Compos Sci Technol 88:172–177
Hajj NE, Mamboundou BM, Dheilly RM, Aboura Z, Benzeggagh M, Queneudec M (2011) Development of thermal insulating and sound absorbing agro-sourced materials from auto linked flax-tows. Ind Crop Prod 34:921–928
Assarar M, Zouari W, Sabhi H, Ayad R, Berthelot JM (2015) Evaluation of the damping of hybrid carbon–flax reinforced composites. Compos Struct 132:148–154
Dittenber DB, Hota VS (2012) Critical review of recent publications on use of natural composites in infrastructure. Compos Part A: Appl Sci Manuf 43:1419–1429
Ramesh M, Sudharsan P, Palanikumar K (2015) Processing and mechanical property evaluation of flax-glass fiber reinforced polymer composites. Appl Mech Mater 766-767:144–149
Pegoretti A, Fambri L, Zappini G, Bianchetti M (2002) Finite element analysis of a glass fibre reinforced composite endodontic post. Biomater 23:2667–2682
Andersons J, Sparnins E, Joffe R, Wallström L (2005) Strength distribution of elementary flax fibres. Compos Sci Technol 65:693–702
Haery HA, Zahari R, Kuntjoro W, Taib YM (2014) Tensile strength of notched woven fabric hybrid glass, carbon/epoxy composite laminates. J Ind Text 43(3):383–395
Zhu J, Zhu H, Njuguna J, Abhyankar H (2013) Recent development of flax fibres and their reinforced composites based on different polymeric matrices. Mater 6:5171–5198
Li Y, Li Q, Ma H (2015) The voids formation mechanisms and their effects on the mechanical properties of flax fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Compos Part A: Appl Sci Manuf 72:40–48
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ramesh, M., Sudharsan, P. Experimental Investigation of Mechanical and Morphological Properties of Flax-Glass Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Composite using Finite Element Analysis. Silicon 10, 747–757 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-016-9526-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-016-9526-5