Experimental and Statistical Evaluation of the Mechanical Performance of (Jute and Cocopeat) Plant and (Silk) Animal-based Hybrid Fibers Reinforced with Epoxy Polymers

Abstract

In India, research on the development of new composite materials is extensively increased. In the present study, composites are developed with the renewable materials of plant and animal-based natural fibers. The present study will lead to the experimental and statistical investigation of the composite produced with a combination of plant-based natural fibers, i.e., jute and coco peat powder with the animal-based natural fibers, i.e., silk. In the present study, jute and silk were utilized as reinforcement material, cocopeat powder as a filler material (5%), and epoxy resin as matrix material (35%). The composites were prepared with the varying composition of reinforcement material, and also the filler and matrix material were kept constant. Furthermore, mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact tests were performed on the developed composites. Further, a comparative study was drawn on the mechanical test results of tensile and flexural strength of the composite using power and polynomial regression model. The regression coefficient (R2) was used to study the correlation between the experimental and predicted values. The results showed that the polynomial regression is the best suitable mathematical model than the power regression model for predicting the composites’ tensile and flexural test performance. © 2022 Taylor & Francis.