Track: Material Engineering

Abstract

Research in composite materials is done in search of alternatives to existing materials. Composite materials provide plausible inexpensive, affordable, environment-friendly, and appropriately sustainable replacements for existing materials. In this paper, the mechanical properties of jute fiber composite and jute fiber-human hair reinforced hybrid composites are compared for a better understanding of the effects of human hair as reinforcements for natural fiber composites. The objective of this study is to test the appropriateness and limits of human hair as a reinforcement material when it comes to further reinforcing natural fiber composites. Towards that, woven jute fiber composite and woven jute fiber-human hair reinforced hybrid composite were manufactured using a hand lay-up process and then compared for their mechanical properties. Tensile, flexural, and impact tests are conducted on the fabricated composite to investigate their mechanical properties. The introduction of human hair in hybrid composites results in variations in tensile and flexural strengths compared to jute-only fiber composites. The tensile and bending toughness of the hybrid composite were 76% and 209% higher than the jute composite, respectively. The composite with human hair exhibits enhanced impact energy absorption and elongation at break, making them a promising alternative for scenarios demanding impact resistance and deformation accommodation. The hybrid composite has an energy absorption of 12.14 J, which is 15% higher than the jute composite's 10.59 J. This study explored the potential of human hair as a low-cost and widely available material to reinforce natural fiber-reinforced composites. Further studies are needed to bolster this analysis.