Development and experimental analysis of sustainable hybrid sandwich composites from waste garlic peel and kapok bio-fillers

Utilization of animal and agricultural waste and valorization of those wastes to develop sustainable composites for multifunctional applications is a prevalent research topic. Current research investigates the microstructural, mechanical, and tribological properties of epoxy sandwich composites reinforced with waste garlic peel and kapok powder reinforced in hemp, glass, and carbon fabrics individually. Compression molding and hand lay-up techniques were utilized to fabricate composites, and the sandwich composites were tested for mechanical and tribological properties. The carbon fabric sandwich composite outperformed other composites in terms of tensile and flexural strengths, with values of 48.3 and 21.2 MPa, respectively while the hemp fabric sandwich composites exhibited highest impact toughness of 9.44 J/cm 2 . The tribological analysis, revealed that the carbon fabric sandwich composite exhibited better wear resistance with lowest wear rate and coefficient of friction. The composite with garlic and kapok biofillers exhibited matrix fractures and voids, but microstructural analysis revealed uniform filler distribution and strong interfacial adhesion in high-strength composites. These composites find their applications in non-structural components in automotive and aviation industries such as lightweight interior panels and in packaging applications such as storage containers.