Effect of Hybridisation on Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Roystonea Regia Banana Fibre Reinforced Polyester Composites

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a significant amount of attention directed towards natural fibre-based hybrid composites, primarily because of their immense potential as substitutes for synthetic fibres that are not environmental friendly. When the combination of two or more distinct varieties of natural fibres is undertaken with the intention of creating a hybrid, the resultant material that emerges from this intricate process possesses the remarkable ability to exhibit a plethora of unique and unprecedented properties, encompassing the realms of mechanical, tribological, and electrical properties. newlineThe scarcity of studies on the hybridization of Roystonea Regia fibre with other natural fibres is quite remarkable. In this particular context, a comprehensive investigation has been conducted to examine the intricate interplay between the physical characteristics, water absorption behavior, and their consequential impact on the mechanical properties, di-electric properties, hydrophobicity, as well as the tribological properties of Roystonea Regia/Banana fiber hybrid composites. This goal is reached through the fabrication of hybrid composites with varying proportions via the hand-lay-up technique and subsequent testing. newlineThe current research has made an effort to analyze the influence of alkali and saline treatments on the mechanical characteristics of Roystonea-regia/banana fibre reinforced hybrid polyester composites. This has been done in order to better understand how these treatments affect the composites. The hand layup technique was utilized in the preparation of composites, which contained both treated and untreated fibers. The total weight percentage of reinforcement that could be found in hybrid composites was capped at 15%. The tensile, flexural, and impact properties of the prepared specimens were evaluated in accordance with the ASTM standards. In both treated and untreated situations, the composites with the highest tensile and flexural properties were found to be those that were reinforced with 5 weigh