Mechanical Properties of Raffia Fiber Fabric (Raphia vinifera)-Reinforced Epoxy Matrix Composites

The demand for lightweight materials with high mechanical performance has driven the development of polymer matrix composites reinforced with natural lignocellulosic fibers (NLFs). This study evaluates epoxy composites reinforced with raffia fabric (Raphia vinifera) at volumetric contents of 10% (ER10), 20% (ER20), and 30% (ER30). Mechanical characterization included tensile, flexural, and Charpy impact tests. Tensile results showed that ER10 and ER30 reached similar strengths (29.96 ± 3.77 MPa and 29.84 ± 4.00 MPa), while ER20 had lower values (23.54 ± 7.94 MPa). However, ER30 exhibited a significantly higher tensile force (2024.54 ± 136.75 N). ER10 displayed the highest tensile modulus (5.64 ± 2.31 GPa), indicating greater stiffness. Flexural tests revealed that ER10 achieved the best flexural strength (36.28 ± 8.87 MPa) and modulus (3.10 ± 0.96 GPa), while ER20 reached the highest maximum force (28.88 ± 10.40 N). Impact tests demonstrated improved energy absorption with increasing fiber content: ER10 (2.08 ± 0.22 J), ER20 (3.57 ± 0.36 J), and ER30 absorbed the full impact energy (5.387 J) without failure. Morphological analysis identified fiber pull-out and delamination as key failure mechanisms. The results demonstrate the viability of raffia fabric as a sustainable reinforcement for epoxy composites with enhanced impact resistance.