Preparation and characterisation of glass and cotton fibers reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

Abstract

Purpose Natural fiber composites have been proven an alternative to conventional composites in many applications such as automotive and transportation industries owing to their eco-friendliness and abundant availability. Also, they are recyclable and biodegradable. Therefore, the need for composites having superior performance is increasing consistently, which has prompted the research reported in this paper. This paper aims to fabricate and evaluate the properties of hybrid composites using glass and cotton fiber with epoxy resin. Design/methodology/approach They were prepared by hand lay-up method, using e-glass and cotton fibers. Epoxy resin used in the preparation of composites. The composites were hybridized at two weight percentages (20 and 30 Wt.%). The prepared samples were tested to evaluate its properties, such as tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength and scanning electron microscope . Findings Microscopic examination revealed the morphological features. Hybrid fiber reinforced epoxy composite (HFREC) exhibited better mechanical properties than the individual samples. It is clear that 30 Wt.% fraction of fiber is better in mechanical properties than 20 Wt.% fraction of fiber reinforcement in both glass fiber and cotton fiber as reinforcement. Also, the hybridization of fibers resulted in increase in properties. Research limitations/implications As cotton fibers are biodegradable, recyclable and lightweight, it has many applications and is mainly used as automotive components, aerospace parts, sporting goods and building industry when reinforced with glass and epoxy. With this scenario, the obtained results of cotton fiber reinforced composites are not ignorable, which could be of potential use, as it leads to better use of available natural fibers. Originality/value This work discovered the properties of e-glass and cotton fiber reinforced epoxy resin hybrid composites (hybridized at different weight percentages), which has not been attempted so far.