The effects of stacking sequence on dynamic mechanical properties and thermal degradation of kenaf/jute hybrid composites

This research focused on the dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of woven mat jute/kenaf/jute (J/K/J) and kenaf/jute/kenaf (K/J/K) hybrid com-posites. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to study the effect of layering sequence on the thermal properties of kenaf/jute hybrid composites. The DMA results; it was found that the dif-ferences in the stacking sequence between the kenaf/jute composites do not affect their storage modulus, loss modulus and damping factor. From the TGA and DMA results, it has been shown that stacking sequence has given positive effect to the kenaf/jute hybrid composite compared to pure epoxy composite. This is because kenaf and jute fibre has increased the Tg values of the composites, thus affect the thermal degradation. Results showed that the storage modulus for kenaf/jute hybrid composites increased compared with pure epoxy composites with increasing temperature and the values of remained almost the same at glass transition temperature (T_g), the hybrid composite perhaps due to the improved fibre/matrix interface bonding. The preliminary analysis could provide a new direction for the creation of a novel hybrid composite which offers unique properties which cannot be accomplished in a single material system.