Preparation and characterization of tensile and bending properties of basalt-kenaf reinforced hybrid polymer composites

Abstract

The current research attempts on the development of hybrid polymer composites with the natural fibres basalt and kenaf using hand layup technique. The composites were made at four different sequence combination to realize the hybrid composite with three stack layers, and it was compared with the individual three-stack layered basalt and kenaf composite. The mechanical behavior of the developed natural fiber reinforced composites was subjected to tensile test and bending test as per standards, and it was analyzed. The mechanical analysis revealed the maximum tensile strength of 111 MPa and the maximum flexural strength of 283.9 MPa for sample basalt fiber-reinforced and kenaf fiber-reinforced composites, respectively. Also, the fractured surface of the developed composites was analyzed under scanning electron microscopy to identify the failure modes.

Keywords:

• Hybrid composite
• natural fiber composite
• hand layup
• fracture surface analysis