Fabrication and Experimental Investigation on Mechanical Properties for Different Stacking Sequence of Jute and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite

Abstract

The use of natural fibre is increasing at a quick rate in case of not only households but also in the industries due to their economically viable characteristics and recycling abilities. Recently the growth in the use of composite material has been a phenomenon as it has shown better resilience and support when implemented in different sectors. This study aims at experimentally investigating the outcome of placing different layers of jute and carbon fibers in different position while structuring a hybrid composite. Six layers of woven unidirectional jute fiber and four-layer of carbon fiber has been used with five different stacking sequences in this study. The production of the hybrid composite was carried out by Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI) technology. Tensile, flexural and impact tests were carried out to investigate the performance of the products. The analysis of the results of tensile, flexural and impact tests of the composites show that the stacking sequence has a significant effect on the structural and resilience properties of the composites. The result indicated that tensile strength of the composites was upgraded when all the layers of carbon fiber were placed in the middle of the sandwich-like composite structure whereas flexural strength of the composites was improved when carbon fibers were placed on the compression and tension side of the composite. In case of impact test the best performance was achieved when all the layers of jute were placed in the two sides of the composite structure.