Mechanical characterization and water absorption behaviors of pineapple leaf/glass fiber‐reinforced polypropylene hybrid composites

Abstract

Hybrid composites have become the focal point of research communities due to the balance in mechanical and ecological properties of such materials.Hybridization is an efficient technique to strengthen and enhance the performance of composite materials. In this research study, hybrid composites were prepared by embedding pineapple leaf and glass fibers in polypropylene polymers via the hot press molding compression technique. Mechanical tests were carried out to determine the tensile, flexural and Charpy impact properties of pineapple leaf/glass fiber-reinforced hybrid composite laminates. Additionally, water absorption test was also conducted to investigate the influence of hybridization on the moisture uptake of hybrid composites. In accordance with the findings obtained, the hybridization of pineapple leaf with glass fibers was found to improve the mechanical properties and moisture uptake sensitivity of the composite laminates. The [G/P/G] composite laminates are especially promising, having comparable mechanical strengths to those of non-hybrid [G/G/G] composite laminates. Meanwhile, the water absorption and diffusion coefficient of [G/P/G] composite laminates were 66.64% and 40.71% lower than non-hybrid [P/P/P] composite laminates. Based on the findings obtained, it is anticipated that the hybridization of pineapple leaf and glass fibers endows the composite laminates with lightweight characteristic, remarkable mechanical properties and low moisture uptake sensitivity while improving the environmental friendliness of the materials. Therefore, hybrid composites have indeed attested a very high potential to be used in transportation sectors.

Static and dynamic mechanical behavior of intra‐hybrid jute/sisal and flax/kenaf reinforced polypropylene composites

“…Recently, the scientific community and industries have been focusing on hybridizing natural fiber-based polymer composites. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Natural fibers such as agave, [13,14] hemp, nettle, [15,16] bagasse, [17] and roselle, sisal [18] have been used to develop and modify the properties of NFRCs. In hybrid composites, the beneficial feature of one fiber can compensate for the adverse effect of the other fiber.…”

Effect of ocean water absorption on flexural properties of Cannabis sativa L. hemp fibre reinforced polymer composites for marine applications

“…. At any given time, the moisture content of a specimen (M t ) can be calculated using equation (7).…”

“…Moisture absorption not only degrades the performance of the polymer matrix but also affects the natural fibres and the interface of fibre-matrix, which are hydrophilic in nature. 4–26 Wet natural fibre composites can easily deteriorate, affecting the overall performance of the composite.…”

Effect of saltwater on the mechanical properties of basalt/carbon/glass-epoxy hybrid composites

“…[23][24][25][26][27] A detailed review conducted by Gupta 28 and Yentl 29 reveals that hybridization can enhance the mechanical behavior of an FRPC. For instance, the tensile and flexural properties show improvement for basalt/aramid/epoxy, 2,30 aramid/glass/epoxy, 31 glass/basalt/epoxy, 5,32,33 kevlar/basalt/epoxy, 34,35 pineapple leaf/glass/polypropylene, 36 basalt/banana/ epoxy, 37,38 and flax/basalt/epoxy 24,[39][40][41][42] hybrid composites than their base composites.…”