Investigating the mechanical behaviour and damage response of flax fibres hybridized with aramids

Natural fibers are replacing traditional materials in many industrial applications, though, their use is limited due to their high moisture uptake and complex structure. This study aims at characterizing and analyzing the mechanical and damage response of a hybrid Woven Kevlar/Flax/Epoxy composites in a sandwich structure consisting of a 12 ply Flax core and 2-layer Kevlar skin. Three ply orientations for the flax core([0],[0/90],[§45]), were manufactured. To evaluate the mechanical properties of the hybrid composites, tensile, compressive, flexural and torsional loading tests were performed. Fractured regions were analyzed using optical microscopy to evaluate fracture mechanics. Test specimens were subjected to load unload sequences at progressively increasing loads until failure to evaluate damage response. SEM analysis was performed to characterize dominant damage mechanisms. Reported data shows that hybridization offers significant improvements in mechanical performance and noticeable reductions in damage accumulation, thus, can be further implemented into the industry for general engineering applications.