Analysis of mechanical properties of hybrid composites reinforced with jute / fiberglass in epoxy matrix

Abstract

The study of vegetable fibers has been usual for the manufacture of many utensils in industry in general. Vegetable fibers are considered for their high renewability, high degradability, and low cost. In this work, the mechanical properties of the tensile and flexural strength and the modulus of elasticity of hybrid composites of jute fibers with fiberglass in an epoxy polymer matrix were evaluated. The fibers were treated in a 5% by weight NaOH solution and subjected to tensile tests in a universal testing machine according to the ASTM D3039 and D790 standards. The composites with the best performance were jute + fiberglass hybrids, with 113% for the tensile strength and 32% for the elastic modulus. In the bending tests, the results showed a performance of 111% for the maximum stress and 20% in the highest breaking stress for the hybrid composites.