Static and Fatigue Behavior of Kenaf/Glass Fibers Hybrid Composites with
a Central Hole under Tensile Loading
Abstract
In recent decades, natural fibers reinforced composites in various
applications have significantly developed. One of the critical
properties of hybrid composites is their fatigue behavior, which affects
the lifetime and application range of these materials, especially when
the composite is drilled. This study aims to analyze the fatigue
behavior of the central open-hole kenaf/glass multilayer hybrid
composites. For this purpose, pure and hybrid kenaf/glass four layers
composite samples with different stacking sequences, with and without a
central hole were produced, and their tensile strength was evaluated.
Afterward, the optimized hybrid composite (GKKG) and two pure glass (G4)
and kenaf (K4) samples were analyzed under the fatigue tensile test at
three stress levels. The results showed that the four layers drilled
pure glass sample exhibited the highest fatigue strength, enduring
115,000 cycles at a stress level of 50%. The drilled hybrid kenaf/glass
sample (GKKG) also showed outstanding fatigue strength, bearing
approximately 54,000 cycles at a stress level of 50%. The slope of the
stress-logarithm(N) curve of the hybrid sample was considerably smaller
than the pure glass. This indicates lower sensitivity of drilled hybrid
composites reinforced with natural fibers to the fatigue loading.