Mechanical Properties of Short Banana/Sisal Hybrid Fibre Reinforced Polyester Composites

Short randomly oriented banana and sisal hybrid fibre reinforced polyester composites, banana/polyester composites and sisal/polyester composites were fabricated at different fibre loading say, 0.20 to 0.50 Vf. Composites were prepared by varying the relative volume fraction of the two fibres at each fibre loading. When the fibre loading was increased; tensile, flexural and impact properties increased. Better performance was shown by composites having volume fraction, 0.40 Vf. Abrasion resistance of the composites also increased with fibre loading. Tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength and flexural modulus showed a positive hybrid effect when the volume ratio of the fibre was varied in the hybrid composites at each fibre loading. Maximum tensile strength was observed in composites having volume ratio of banana and sisal 3:1. When the volume ratio of sisal was increased, the impact strength of the composite increased. Different layering patterns were tried at 0.40 Vf , keeping the volume ratio of fibres 1:1. Tensile properties were slightly greater in the trilayer composite with banana as the skin material. Bilayer composites showed higher flexural and impact property. SEM studies were carried out to evaluate fibre/matrix interactions. Experimental results were compared with theoretical predictions. Results in this chapter have been published in Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 96, 1699-1709, 2005