Experimental investigation on the mechanical properties of Cyperus pangorei fibers and jute fiber-based natural fiber composites

The present era uses natural fibers as a partial replacement for synthetic fibers, thereby utilizing eco-friendly materials in a number of automotive applications (namely, bumpers, wind shields, doors, ceilings, etc.). Although there are many research findings related to natural fiber composites, in this work, a new sandwich layer of Cyperus pangorei fibers and jute fiber epoxy hybrid composites is developed using the hand lay-up technique and compared with the pure Cyperus pangorei fiber and pure jute fiber epoxy composites. The mechanical properties like tensile, flexural, compressive, impact, and hardness are performed as per ASTM standards for the developed composites. The test results show that Cyperus pangorei hybrid composite 3 had a tensile strength of 50.2MPa, flexural strength of 301.48N mm(-2), ultimate compression load of 15.03 KN, impact energy of 6.34J, and Shore D hardness of 82.7, which are superior by 1.1-1.5 times to all the other developed composites. The microstructural characterizations are performed using scanning electron microscope which played a vital role in analyzing the failure morphology of the composites.