An investigation on the mechanical strength, impact resistance and hardness of SiC filled natural jute fiber reinforced composites

Natural fibers are a good alternative as economically since they are readily available in fibrous form and can be extracted from plant leaves at very low costs. However, they have lower strength values than synthetic fibers due to their deficiencies in material structure. In this respect, many studies have been carried out by researchers to increase the strength of natural fibers. In this study, mechanical properties, Izod impact toughness, and Shore D hardness behavior of silicon carbide (SiC) filled natural fiber reinforced laminated composites were investigated. In this context, natural jute/epoxy laminated composites were reinforced in different ratios (3%, 6%, and 9%) with SiC powders having different grain size (4.5μ, 9.3μ and 53μ). The test results were compared with the results of unfilled jute/epoxy composites in order to better understand the effects of the fill percentage and grain size on mechanical strength. The produced laminated composites were tested under tensile, compression and impact loads. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was also performed to analyze the mechanisms of damage of the specimens. The test results showed that the SiC particle size and the percentage of reinforcement were effective on the mechanical behavior of the composite material.