A Study on Mechanical Behaviour of Bamboo, Jute and Banana Fiber Based Hybrid Natural Composites
Abstract
This study investigates the mechanical response of two hybrid natural-fiber epoxy laminates: a jute-banana-bamboo (B-J-B) hybrid and a jute-Lantana camara (J-LC-J) hybrid. Both laminates were manufactured by the hand lay-up route using an alternate-ply stacking sequence, keeping the fiber-to-matrix weight ratio fixed at 40:60. Tensile coupons were machined into a dog-bone profile and flexural coupons into a flat-bar profile, in line with ASTM guidance, and both were evaluated on a universal testing machine (UTM). Inter laminar shear strength and flexural strength was derived from three-point bend data, while fracture surfaces were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to identify the governing failure mechanisms. Relative to unreinforced epoxy, both hybrid laminates showed a marked improvement in flexural and tensile response, with the jute-bamboo combination consistently outperforming the jute-banana combination. Fracto graphic evidence linked this difference to superior fiber wetting and fewer de-bonded regions in the jute-bamboo laminate, whereas the jute-banana laminate exhibited pronounced fiber pull-out and fiber breakage.