Effect of fiber parameters on the mechanical properties of Banana-Glass fiber hybrid composites

Composite materials are widely used for their superior properties such as high strength to weight ratio, high tensile strength, low thermal expansion, low density etc. Due to environmental issues the eco-friendly composites are being explored. But natural fibers lack better mechanical properties when compared with synthetic fibers. Hence mixing the natural fiber with a synthetic fiber such as glass fiber will improve mechanical properties of the composites. In this study banana fiber is mixed with glass fiber, and the mixture is used as reinforcement in epoxy matrix. The composite specimens were prepared using hand layup technique, the fibers were randomly oriented. Further the fiber length was varied as 10, 15, 20 and 25mm and volume fraction as 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. Experiments were conducted to find the effect of fiber length and volume fraction on tensile strength, flexural strength, water absorption properties of the composites. It was observed that a fiber length of 20mm and 20% fiber volume fraction gave better mechanical properties.