Effect of cenosphere addition on the mechanical properties of jute-glass fiber hybrid epoxy composites

Cenosphere is a ceramic-rich industrial waste produced during burning of coal in thermal power plants. This study deals with the effect of cenosphere as particulate filler on mechanical behaviour of woven jute-glass hybrid composites. The hybrid composite consists of jute and glass fiber as reinforcement and epoxy as matrix. The conventional hand lay-up technique is used to prepare composite specimens. Cenosphere of different weight percentage (5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%) was added to the hybrid composite. The samples were tested as per ASTM standards for their mechanical and flexural properties to establish the effect of filler content. It is found that the mechanical properties are significantly influenced by addition of waste ceramic filler cenosphere up to 15 wt% and increases the tensile, flexural and interlaminar shear strength by 90.47%, 24.32% and 16.75%, respectively, in comparison to unfilled composite. The morphologies of the composites studied by scanning electron microscope indicate good dispersibility of cenosphere in the matrix, which in turn improves the strengths appreciable.