Compression and water absorption behaviour of banana and sisal hybrid fiber polymer composites

Advancement in science and technology with Environmental awareness have made us to find suitable materials which are light, high strength, biodegradable and can sustain harsh environmental conditions for various applications. Among various materials, both synthetic [wool, nylon and terylene] and natural [sisal, banana, jute, etc.] fibers, extracted from plants and animals, are of special interest. Natural fibers are available in nature abundantly at very low cost. Composite materials are heterogeneous in nature made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical and chemical properties. Hybridization of natural fibres affects the mechanical properties of composites and interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix. In this work sisal and banana fibers are used as reinforcement which is treated with NaOH solution to improve the bonding between fiber and resin by removing moisture. The different compositions of treated and untreated hybrid mixture composites were prepared. Experimental study on compression and water absorption shows that with increasing sisal fiber percentage improves the property of the composite material. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.