The effect of fiber stacking sequence on mechanical and morphological behavior of paddy straw/pineapple leaf fiber-reinforced ortho-laminated polyester hybrid composites

The contemporary agricultural natural fiber is effectively used for fabricating composites because of its economical, ample availability, and biodegradability. In this way, the potential material for the reinforcement of hybrid (paddy straw and pineapple leaf) fiber- and ortho-laminated polyester composites was conducted. This research article is focused on the hybridization of untreated, treated, and paddy pulp fiber-reinforced polyester composite laminates. The unidirectional paddy straw fiber and pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) were used in the fabrication process of laminate using a compression molding machine with the mold dimensions of 300 x 300 x 5 mm is used and the investigation of mechanical (tensile, flexural, impact, hardness, shear) behaviors are conducted in the samples as per the standard. Five samples were prepared by varying the fiber content in the matrix in which sample S1 pure polyester plate without any addition of reinforcement. Out of these five samples, sample 4 (S4) produced better tensile, flexural, impact, hardness, and shear values of 28 MPa, 61 MPa, 3.46 Joules, 64 HR L, and 68.7 MPa, respectively. Comparing the laminate samples of S1 and S4 there is a 35.2% increase in the tensile value of S4, similarly, other values also resulted in better hikes. In addition to that, the water absorption properties of the laminate were also evaluated and fiber breakage, fiber pullout, fiber orientation, crack propagation, and voids on the fractured specimens were identified with help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Overall, the fabricated hybrid composite laminates were lightweight and has good fiber-matrix bonding with improved mechanical and morphological properties for commercial and home need applications.