Assessment on Effect of Thermal, Mechanical and Water Absorption Properties of Hybrid Hemp/Pine Apple/Palm Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite

Abstract

Abstract Natural fiber composites have been shown to be capable of replacing synthetic fiber composites in a variety of structural applications. However, natural fibers are hampered in their composite applications by their low dimensional stability and high susceptibility to moisture absorption over time. In this study, hemp, pine apple, and palm fiber were used to make natural hybrid fiber composites that were made with epoxy matrix. This study used variable fiber content to analyze the qualities of composites like thermal, mechanical, and water absorption. Thermal degradation of fiber polymerization was investigated via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), revealing that the fibers such as hemp, pine apple and palm are stable up to 241°C, 166°C, 276°C. According to the findings, pine apple composites outperformed the other composites in terms of brittleness index and water resistance. When compared to pine apple composite, hybrid (palm + hemp + pine apple) composite exhibits greater tensile strength (14%), flexural strength (29%), and water absorption (34%). When exposed to water, however, the mechanical performance of all the composites dropped dramatically. The insulating capacity of hybrid palm and pine apple fiber composite is 8.22% greater than that of pine apple fiber composite. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the fiber morphology and interfacial bonding in composite samples that had undergone tensile fracture.