Study on Water Absorption and Swelling Behavior of Woven Bamboo and Jute Fibre Hybrid Composites

Abstract

Composites are the materials, which are satisfying the needs of recent technology. Natural fibers are getting more research interest as reinforcements for getting polymer composites. They are environmentally friendly/eco-friendly, lightweight, abundantly available, non-toxic, low cost, easily processible and require low energy inputs. The present work focuses on the moisture absorption and swelling characteristics of woven Bamboo and Jute fiber reinforced with epoxy hybrid composites. Both biowaste materials i.e., Bamboo and Jute fibers are used as reinforcements in the form of a mat. A new hybrid composite with epoxy as the matrix material is used by keeping the position 0⁰-90⁰ for all stacking sequences. The results show that as bamboo layers percentage increases in the hybrid composite the absorption of moisture and thickness swelling increased. Thickness swelling and absorption of moisture in the hybrid composites lie in between Bamboo and Jute fiber composites. These materials are best suited for structural applications and can find a replacement for synthetic fibers.