Residual flexural strength and modulus after low-velocity impact in hybrid jute - polyester / epoxy composites

In recent years, jute fber reinforced composites have gained attention of many researchers due to their low cost, acceptable mechanical properties and biodegradability. To overcome the brittleness of these composite under mechanical loads, hybridization of jute with high tenacity polyester fbers has been investigated in this study. Hybrid composite samples with various weight percentages of polyester fbers were fabricated using hand lay-up method and subjected to low-velocity impact loading. The flexural behavior of the composites was then measured using three-point bending test for both the impacted and the non-impacted samples. The results showed that with increasing the weight percentage of polyester fbers, the flexural strength and modulus of the hybrid composites decreased. However, the extent of drop in flexural properties after impact was considerably lower. In fact, adding high tenacity polyester fbers to the composites increased their energy absorption capabilities under low-velocity impact loads.