Modelling -Based Evaluation of Hybrid Natural Synthetic Fiber Polymer Composites for Sustainable Energy Applications
Abstract
The growing need of lightweight, high-performance, and green energy system materials has increased the research on hybrid polymer composites. This paper gives a modelling-based evaluation of polymer matrix composites which are reinforced using natural fibers like jute, sisal, bamboo in a combination with synthetic glass fibers to be used in sustainable energy sources. An analytical model has been used to assess the effect of hybrid fiber composition on mechanical, thermal, and microstructural performance. Mechanical performance such as tensile and flexural behaviour are modelled by known micromechanical models like the Rule of Mixtures and Halpin-Tsai model whilst thermal performance trends are explained by literature thermogravimetric and calorimetric results. The conceptual interpretation of the mechanisms of fiber dispersion and interfacial bonding is used to analyze microstructural characteristics. The findings indicate that natural to synthetic fiber hybridization offers the best balance in terms of strength, stiffness, thermal stability, weight loss, and sustainability against solitary fiber polymer composites. The given modelling-based method provides definite correlations between the hybrid fiber composition and the predicted performance and provides valuable information to the preliminary design and optimization of the hybrid polymer composites aimed at the utilization as the sustainable energy sources.