Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers

ABSTRACT This study investigates the mechanical, morphological, and moisture absorption properties of sustainable epoxy composites reinforced with agro‐waste fibers including jute, betel nut husk, corn bark, and sugarcane residues. The composites were fabricated via the hand lay‐up method. Three dis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Md. Abdul Hannan Sarker, Md. Shakil Chowdhury, Md. Shah Oliullah, Md. Rubel Ahmed, Md. Zobair Al Mahmud, Habibur Rahman, Ripon Kumar Roy, Nayem Hossain
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-07-01
Series:SPE Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/pls2.70016
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849730862698987520
author Md. Abdul Hannan Sarker
Md. Shakil Chowdhury
Md. Shah Oliullah
Md. Rubel Ahmed
Md. Zobair Al Mahmud
Habibur Rahman
Ripon Kumar Roy
Nayem Hossain
author_facet Md. Abdul Hannan Sarker
Md. Shakil Chowdhury
Md. Shah Oliullah
Md. Rubel Ahmed
Md. Zobair Al Mahmud
Habibur Rahman
Ripon Kumar Roy
Nayem Hossain
author_sort Md. Abdul Hannan Sarker
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT This study investigates the mechanical, morphological, and moisture absorption properties of sustainable epoxy composites reinforced with agro‐waste fibers including jute, betel nut husk, corn bark, and sugarcane residues. The composites were fabricated via the hand lay‐up method. Three distinct hybrid composites were fabricated and systematically tested for tensile, flexural, impact, SEM, and water absorption performance. Among the developed composites, the jute + corn bark fiber configuration demonstrated the highest tensile strength (23.60 MPa), flexural strength (21.17 MPa), and strain (8.67%), attributed to superior fiber–matrix adhesion and compact microstructure as validated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In contrast, composites reinforced with sugarcane and betel nut fibers exhibited greater porosity, reduced strength, and higher water uptake, highlighting the impact of fiber morphology and interfacial bonding. All samples resisted oil absorption but varied significantly in water and saltwater environments; with the jute + corn bark composite exhibiting the lowest moisture uptake. The findings confirm the viability of underutilized agro‐waste fibers—particularly corn bark—as promising reinforcements in cost‐effective, biodegradable composites suitable for non‐load‐bearing construction, packaging, acoustic insulation, and automotive interior applications. This study is the first to investigate the use of jute fabric reinforced with corn bark fibers in epoxy composites, revealing their superior performance compared to betel nut and sugarcane fibers. The findings advance the field of green materials engineering by offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic composites, particularly suited for moisture‐sensitive and moderately demanding structural applications.
format Article
id doaj-art-e3005e1a8b1f4062ac5904c8df054ec7
institution DOAJ
issn 2690-3857
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series SPE Polymers
spelling doaj-art-e3005e1a8b1f4062ac5904c8df054ec72025-08-20T03:08:44ZengWileySPE Polymers2690-38572025-07-0163n/an/a10.1002/pls2.70016Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste FibersMd. Abdul Hannan Sarker0Md. Shakil Chowdhury1Md. Shah Oliullah2Md. Rubel Ahmed3Md. Zobair Al Mahmud4Habibur Rahman5Ripon Kumar Roy6Nayem Hossain7Department of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering International University of Business Agriculture and Technology Dhaka BangladeshABSTRACT This study investigates the mechanical, morphological, and moisture absorption properties of sustainable epoxy composites reinforced with agro‐waste fibers including jute, betel nut husk, corn bark, and sugarcane residues. The composites were fabricated via the hand lay‐up method. Three distinct hybrid composites were fabricated and systematically tested for tensile, flexural, impact, SEM, and water absorption performance. Among the developed composites, the jute + corn bark fiber configuration demonstrated the highest tensile strength (23.60 MPa), flexural strength (21.17 MPa), and strain (8.67%), attributed to superior fiber–matrix adhesion and compact microstructure as validated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In contrast, composites reinforced with sugarcane and betel nut fibers exhibited greater porosity, reduced strength, and higher water uptake, highlighting the impact of fiber morphology and interfacial bonding. All samples resisted oil absorption but varied significantly in water and saltwater environments; with the jute + corn bark composite exhibiting the lowest moisture uptake. The findings confirm the viability of underutilized agro‐waste fibers—particularly corn bark—as promising reinforcements in cost‐effective, biodegradable composites suitable for non‐load‐bearing construction, packaging, acoustic insulation, and automotive interior applications. This study is the first to investigate the use of jute fabric reinforced with corn bark fibers in epoxy composites, revealing their superior performance compared to betel nut and sugarcane fibers. The findings advance the field of green materials engineering by offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic composites, particularly suited for moisture‐sensitive and moderately demanding structural applications.https://doi.org/10.1002/pls2.70016epoxy resinmechanical propertiesnatural fiber composite
spellingShingle Md. Abdul Hannan Sarker
Md. Shakil Chowdhury
Md. Shah Oliullah
Md. Rubel Ahmed
Md. Zobair Al Mahmud
Habibur Rahman
Ripon Kumar Roy
Nayem Hossain
Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
SPE Polymers
epoxy resin
mechanical properties
natural fiber composite
title Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
title_full Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
title_fullStr Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
title_full_unstemmed Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
title_short Mechanical and Morphological Characterization of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced With Agricultural Waste Fibers
title_sort mechanical and morphological characterization of hybrid epoxy composites reinforced with agricultural waste fibers
topic epoxy resin
mechanical properties
natural fiber composite
url https://doi.org/10.1002/pls2.70016
work_keys_str_mv AT mdabdulhannansarker mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT mdshakilchowdhury mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT mdshaholiullah mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT mdrubelahmed mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT mdzobairalmahmud mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT habiburrahman mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT riponkumarroy mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers
AT nayemhossain mechanicalandmorphologicalcharacterizationofhybridepoxycompositesreinforcedwithagriculturalwastefibers