Volume 48, No 1, 2026, Pages 143-156
Download full text in PDFComprehensive Studies on Mechanical Characteristics and Interfacial Behavior of Ramie/Jute and Hybrid Fiber Epoxy Composites
Authors:
P. Pradeep Kumar 
,
L. Ranganatha Swamy ,
J. Balaji ,
K. Sadashiva ,
S. Suresh Kumar
DOI: 10.24874/ti.2054.10.25.02
Received: 28 October 2025
Revised: 20 December 2025
Accepted: 23 February 2026
Published: 15 March 2026
Abstract:
In recent years, natural fiber composites have gained popularity as alternatives to synthetic composites because they are lighter, cheaper, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. Despite being sustainable, they still offer good strength and stiffness, making them suitable for various engineering and structural applications. In this research, composites reinforced with ramie, jute, and a combination of both fibers were produced employing the hand lay-up technique. A total of six distinct composite variants were fabricated and subsequently evaluated following ASTM testing standards.The composites were evaluated for density, tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear, impact, hardness and water absorption properties. Results showed that adding pure ramie fibers improved the overall mechanical performance. The hybrid RJRJ composite shows less water absorption and also demonstrated superior in tensile, flexural, ILSS, impact capability, and hardness examined alongside to the single fiber composite variant (SSSS) and other hybrid composites. When reinforced with the RJRJ fiber combination, the epoxy composite’s tensile strength rose by 170%, reaching 45.23 MPa, while its flexural strength increased by 127%, attaining 68.24 MPa.The flexural modulus also rose by 42%, reaching 1.79 GPa. Fracture and debonding behavior from tensile tests were further analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Overall, the study concludes that RJRJ hybrid composite are promising materials for medium-load structural applications to lessen dependence on depleting non-renewable sources through renewable material alternatives.
Keywords:
Ramie/jute fiber, Hybrid fiber composites, Mechanical properties, Interfacial behavior
