The Influence of Hybrid Fillers on the Mechanical Properties of Woven Ramie-Reinforced Epoxy Composites

¹ Faculty of Engineering and Quantity Surveying, INTI International University, Nilai 71800, Malaysia
² Faculty of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al Sultan Abdullah, Pekan 26600, Malaysia
³ Centre for Automotive Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al Sultan Abdullah, Pekan 26600, Malaysia
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Halu Oleo, 93232 Kendari, Indonesia
⁵ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang 50229, Indonesia
⁶ Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Malahayati, Jl. Pramuka No. 27, Kemiling, Bandar Lampung 35153, Indonesia
⁷ Faculty of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
⁸ Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Malikussaleh, 24353 Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: januar@umpsa.edu.my

Abstract

The research aims to investigate the mechanical properties and broaden the potential uses of woven ramie-reinforced epoxy composites by incorporating hybrid fillers. The study utilized rice husk filler (RHF), Cinnamon inner filler (CIF), and Syzygium grande filler (SGF) as hybrid materials in producing laminated ramie/epoxy composites. The composites were created by manually stacking woven ramie fibre with natural fillers with mesh sizes 100 and varying concentrations. This study conducted tests to evaluate composite materials’ tensile, flexural, and impact properties and examine how adding fillers affects these properties. The result showed that the concentration of fillers at 10 wt.% has achieved the highest tensile properties compared to other concentrations. Cinnamon inner filler composites had the maximum tensile strength among the various filler materials. Compared to all the different hybrid samples, adding CIF in woven fibre had the highest tensile strength of 36.25 MPa, flexural strength of 52.27 MPa, and impact strength of 0.337 J. This may be due to the compatibility between cellulose fibres, CIF, and epoxy matrix. The utilization of an optical microscope facilitated the investigation. It revealed that enhanced blending of the cinnamon filler within the composites resulted in a more robust bonding between the filler and the woven ramie composites.