Identifying the Influence of Stacking Sequence on Mechanical and Vibration Properties of Bamboo/Glass-Epoxy Composites

The consumption of renewable materials such as natural fiber reinforced composites is highlighted in many engineering applications because of their degradable and environmentally friendly properties. Composite with dedicated natural fibers is limited their use to semi-structural applications because of their hydrophobic nature and instability under dynamic load. Present research work is attempted to develop woven bamboo (B)/Glass (G) hybrid epoxy composites. The dedicated (BBBB and GGGG) and hybridized composites with different stacking sequences fabricated through the compression molding process and their mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties are investigated. In mechanical properties, the flexural strength and flexural modulus for the GBBG layered composites are best at 210 and 6256 MPa respectively, close to the dedicated glass composite. Impact strength at around 342-368 J m-1 is observed for all hybrids which are extremely good when compared to pure bamboo composite. Experimental modal analysis is also executed to evaluate the dynamic properties as fundamental natural frequencies and the damping ratio. The GBGB composite possesses a fundamental frequency of 25.1 Hz and a damping ratio of 0.0301. The damping of hybrid composites is improved by 96% compared to GGGG stacked composites. The experimental results are well in agreement with the analytical results. These developed bamboo/glass hybrid composites can be a better alternative composite material in semi-structural applications.

Automated summary

This study developed bamboo/glass hybrid composites and investigated their mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties through experiments and analysis. The results show that the hybrid composites demonstrate good mechanical performance and damping characteristics, making them an ideal alternative composite material for semi-structural applications.