Paper Contents
Abstract
Over the past two decades, fiber-reinforced polymer composites have gained significant attention due to their excellent structural performance and lightweight nature. Extensive research has been conducted to evaluate the behavior of composite materials, focusing on factors such as fiber type, lamination sequence, matrix composition, and filler material inclusion. In this study, the effect of stacking sequence on the mechanical properties of hybrid ramie (R) and flax (F) fiber-reinforced epoxy composites enhanced with nano SiO was investigated. Unlike previous studies that varied nano SiO content, this research maintained a constant nano SiO weight of 2.5 g and explored the impact of five different stacking sequences: RRFRR, RFRFR, FFRFF, FRFR, and RFFFR.The composites were fabricated using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique, ensuring uniform fiber impregnation and resin distribution. Mechanical properties, including tensile strength, flexural strength, and interlaminar shear strength, were evaluated according to ASTM standards. The results demonstrated that stacking sequence played a crucial role in enhancing mechanical performance. Among the tested configurations, the RRFRR sequence exhibited the most favorable results, with a tensile strength of 41.308 MPa, flexural strength of 104.76 MPa, and interlaminar shear strength of 10.20 MPa. These findings provide valuable insights into the optimization of hybrid natural fiber-reinforced composites for structural and automotive applications.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 K.Nitheesh Kumar. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
