DEVELOPMENT AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES INVESTIGATION OF NOVEL KEVLAR/E-GLASS/Washingtonia filifera/E-GLASS/EPOXY HYBRID LAMINATED COMPOSITE

Abstract

In this article we are interested in developing a new hybrid laminated composite material of epoxy resin reinforced with a woven fabric of Kevlar/E-glass 0°-90° (WKG) and only a woven E-glass fabric (0°-90°) (WG) on the top and bottom layers, respectively, in addition to Washingtonia filifera (WF) natural fibers in the core. Flexural, tensile, and hardness tests have been performed to assess the mechanical properties of our elaborated material. The flexural and tensile tests revealed that the WKG/WF/WG/EPOXY hybrid composite has very good mechanical properties, with a Young modulus of 9142.8 MPa and tensile modulus of 3489.06 MPa, with 0.7% strain and 0.256% deformation, respectively. In addition, Brinell and Vickers hardness tests have been carried out in this study, for which the obtained average values are 14.63 HB and 20.1 HV, respectively. In addition, all results are compared with literature data for validation. This work allows us to propose our novel WKG/WF/WG/EPOXY hybrid laminated composite as a replacement in industrial sectors for its low cost and ecological benefit.