Mechanical Behaviour of Sugarcane Bagasse and Banana Fibers Reinforced Composite

Abstract

The present work investigates the effect of hybridization of sugarcane bagasse and banana fibers as reinforcements in the polymer matrix. Composites made from natural fibers possess favourable properties like low cost, light weight, high strength and eco-friendly nature compared to synthetic fibers. Structural applications such as aerospace and automobile industries moving towards the use of these natural composites. In this research work two lightweight composite materials were developed, one with a linear pattern and other with chopped pattern of sugarcane bagasse and banana fiber reinforcements. The developed composites were subjected to different tests to investigate their mechanical behaviour. Both the developed specimens were investigated for their tensile strength, hardness, and water absorption capacity and compared their behaviour. It is observed from the test results, the composite with the chopped fiber reinforcement possess better mechanical properties compared to the linear reinforcement.