Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber Sandwich Composite: Effect of Core Layer

In recent years, due to awareness of environmental system researchers are concentrated to developed natural fiber composite and replace with conventional material for low and medium load application. In this paper, an experimental investigations are made to analyse the mechanical properties on influence of core layers in sandwich composite. Three different weaving patterns are used as core layer namely plain, basket and twill. It has been fabricated by keeping stiff glass fabric as facing layer and relatively weak sisal natural fabric as core layer. The investigations made on sandwich composite reveals composite with plain woven sisal fabric as core layer gives higher flexural properties compared to composite with basket and twill woven fabric as core layer. Fracture surface of tensile and flexural specimens are analyzed using scanning electron microscope to understand the fracture behaviour of the sandwich composites.