Investigation on physical and mechanical behavior of nano‐silica particle filled woven jute/kenaf hybrid nanocomposites

Abstract Hybrid composites have attracted considerable interest from researchers due to their balanced combination of ecological and mechanical properties. This paper examines the physical and mechanical behavior of hybrid composites reinforced with nano‐silica and woven jute/kenaf fiber. The hybrid composites were fabricated using hand layup techniques with varying weight percentages of nano‐silica (1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 wt%) and three different fiber layering sequences (JKJK, JKKJ, and KJJK). The mechanical properties, including tensile, flexural, interlaminar shear strength, impact resistance, and hardness, along with the physical properties such as density and moisture absorption, are evaluated for the fabricated composite samples. The jute/kenaf composite fabricated with KJJK layering sequence and 4.5 wt% nano‐silica particles exhibited reduced void content (1.983%) and low moisture absorption (4.87%). The addition of 4.5 wt% nano‐silica to KJJK composites achieved a maximum tensile strength of 86.38 ± 2.9 MPa and a maximum tensile modulus of 4.238 ± 0.094 GPa. In KJJK hybrid composites, the incorporation of 4.5 wt% nano‐silica led to a 70.11% increase in flexural strength and a 47.05% increase in flexural modulus. Surface morphological analysis of the specimens was conducted using SEM to examine cracks, fiber pullout, and different failure modes within the hybrid composite. Highlights Developed the jute/kenaf composites with 1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 wt% of nano‐silica. Nano‐silica into jute/kenaf composites reduced void content and moisture absorption. The composites with 4.5 wt% nano‐silica had better mechanical properties. Layering sequence jute and kenaf affect the mechanical properties. Morphological analysis confirms the improved adhesion with nano‐silica.