Mechanical and thermal properties of date palm/kenaf fiber-reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

This study evaluates the thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy hybrid composites reinforced with date palm fiber (DPF) and kenaf fiber (KF) at various fiber loadings. Flexural properties, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of hybrid composites were reported. The flexural properties revealed the effect of fiber ratio on flexural strength and modulus; a higher kenaf ratio showed a higher flexural modulus. TGA revealed the effect of lignin present in the DPF, which affected the glass transition significantly. In DMA characterization, storage modulus revealed that 7DP3K showed higher modulus in the initial stage and had better glass transition than others. The loss modulus showed that the peak of 7DP3K had higher loss modulus, glass transition at a higher temperature, and wider relaxation period. Damping factor also showed that 7DP3K had peak at a higher temperature. The result showed that KF has positively impacted on DPF to improve the mechanical and thermal properties. The hybrid fibers in epoxy composites were effective in increasing the dynamic mechanical properties and flexural strength ascribed to the improved matrix/fiber bonding. The possible applications of the hybrid composites may be in building industry and automobiles. This study gives directions for further research on comparison of treated hybrid composites with untreated ones.