Development of a hybrid composite with synthetic and natural fibers

Natural fibre composites are being quite studied in the last two decades with some applications consolidated mainly in the automobile industry. However, the applications are limited due to its poor mechanical properties and high moisture absorption, compared to composites with synthetic fibres. Looking for to minimize these problems and to enlarge the possible applications, the objective of this work is to develop a hybrid composite combining natural (curaua) and synthetic fibres (glass-E) in a polyester matrix. A comparative study of the flexural mechanical properties among the hybrid composite and two others, one just with fibreglass and other just with curaua fibres, was accomplished. Besides, water absorption tests were carried out for all composites and it was analyzed the water absorption influence in the mechanical properties of the hybrid composite. The mechanical properties of the hybrid and fibreglass composites were very close, on the other hand the composite just with natural fibre showed a quite inferior performance. The hybridization was efficient in the sense of reducing the water absorption of the natural fibre composite (curaua). The hybrid glass/curaua composite showed to be a promising substitute for fibreglass composites even in applications of contact with water.