Analysis of Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Hybrid FRP Composites with Short Jute, Coir and Glass Fibers – Effects of Different Fiber Loading and Waste Valorization

Abstract This study explores the fabrication and characterization of hybrid composite materials reinforced with two natural fibers, jute and coir, and a synthetic fiber, E-glass, with a focus on waste valorization. The aim is to ulitize short fiber waste generated from the use of these materials in various applications. Unsaturated polyester resin was employed as the matrix, and all composite samples were fabricated using the hand lay-up technique, followed by room temperature curing. The fabricated composite systems included, single-fiber composites: jute/polyester (J0), coir/polyester (C0), and glass/polyester (G0). Binary hybrid composites (50/50 wt.%), such as jute/glass (JG), jute/coir (JC), and coir/glass (CG). Ternary hybrid composites with varying jute/coir/glass ratios such as H1 (50/25/25 wt.%), H2 (25/50/25 wt.%), H3 (25/25/50 wt.%), and H4 (33/33/33 wt.%). Mechanical characterization revealed that the JG hybrids exhibited a 118% increase in impact strength (IS) compared to J0, while CG showed a 124% improvement over C0. The JC hybrid demonstrated enhancements of 75% in tensile strength (TS), 160% in tensile modulus (TM), and 38% in IS relative to C0. Although the ternary hybrids (H1—H4) showed lower mechanical performance than J0, they significantly outperformed C0, with H4 delivering the most balanced and optimal performance. Additionally, TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) was conducted to assess the thermal stability and degradation behavior of the composites, supporting their potential for sustainable applications through effective utilization of fiber waste.