The Impact of Ecological Aging on the Mechanical Performance of Jute-Banana Fibre Phenol-Formaldehyde Hybrid Composites

Abstract

Natural fiber composites are an ecologically beneficial and sustainable alternative to conventional materials, lowering their environmental impact. Aging tests are essential for assessing natural fiber composites' long-term mechanical performance and durability in various environments to ensure their reliability and safety over time. The ecological aging behavior of jutarebanana fiber phenol-formaldehyde (JBP-F) hybrid composites with varying phenol-formaldehyde (PF) weight percentages ranging from 40% to 70% is investigated in this study. The moisture resistance, accelerated water resistance, thermal and hydrothermal aging, soil burial, and accelerated weathering have all been tested on these composites. The degree of deterioration was determined by analyzing changes in the hybrid fiber composite's weight and tensile properties. In moisture resistance and soil burial tests, the composite with 70% PF and 30% fibers by weight exhibited the least weight gain and the least weight loss. According to the experimental results, a composite containing equal quantities of fiber and resin (50% jute-banana fiber and 50% PF) (JBP-F50) showed strong fiber-matrix interaction and was suitable for outdoor applications. This composite experienced minimal weight gain in moisture durability and accelerated water resistance tests, and it exhibited weight loss in thermal aging, hydrothermal aging, soil burial, and accelerated weathering tests. Additionally, it consistently showed higher tensile strength compared to the other composites. (60% jute- banana fiber and 40% PF). The JBP-F60 composite, on the other hand, demonstrated high modulus values in all aging tests except the thermal aging test.