Tensile Behavior of Date and Banana Fiber-reinforced Sustainable Green Hybrid Composites
Saud Musabah Hashil Alsenani
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East College, Muscat, Oman.
Abdul Nazeer *
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East College, Muscat, Oman.
Basim A Khidhir
HB Steel Company, Babil Govern Orate, Iraq.
Saleh Al Raqqadi
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East College, Muscat, Oman.
Jaber Al Mawaali
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University Technology Applied Sciences, Muscat, Oman.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Natural fiber-based composites have gained significant attention due to their biodegradable nature, cost-effectiveness, and potential as sustainable alternatives to synthetic materials. These composites are widely applicable in industries such as automotive, aerospace, construction, recreation, and sports, owing to their favorable mechanical properties and simple, economical processing. This study focuses on developing and evaluating the tensile strength of a hybrid natural composite reinforced with banana and date fibers in an epoxy resin matrix. Prior research highlights the excellent mechanical properties of banana and date fibers individually. The experimental design utilized four different combinations, including the base matrix, single date fiber, and hybrid fiber ratios. The fabrication process was carried out using the hand layup technique. Tensile tests were performed on all the developed samples to evaluate their strength and Young's modulus.. The findings reveal that composites with date fiber reinforcement exhibit the highest Young's modulus compared to other material compositions. Moreover, using a single layer of banana fiber yielded better tensile results than double layers. The study concludes that combining date and banana fibers in a hybrid configuration enhances tensile properties compared to single-fiber composites, demonstrating the potential for tailoring this combination to achieve optimized tensile strength.
Keywords: Epoxy resin, date fiber, banana fiber, tensile strength, young’s modulus, hybrid composite