The impact of matrix material on the mechanical properties of natural-fiber-reinforced hybrid composites was studied by comparing their experimental, and numerical analysis results. In the present work hemp and flax fibers were used as reinforcement and epoxy resin and ecopoxy resin along with hardener were used as matrix materials. To study the influence of the matrix material, two sets of hybrid composites were fabricated by varying the matrix material. The composite samples were fabricated by using the compression-molding technique followed by a hand layup process. A total of five different composites were fabricated by varying the weight fraction of fiber material in each set based on the rule of the hybridization process. After fabrication, the mechanical properties of the composite samples were tested and morphological studies were analyzed by using SEM-EDX analysis. The flexural-test fractured specimens were analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, theoretical analysis of the elastic properties of hybrid composites was carried out by using the Halpin-Tsai approach. The results showed that the hybrid composites had superior properties to individual fiber composites. Overall, epoxy resin matrix composites exhibited superior properties to ecopoxy matrix composites.
Keywords: Halpin–Tsai model; SEM-EDX; matrix material; mechanical properties; natural fibers.