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Abstract Glass fibers are widely used in structural composites due to their low cost, good mechanical properties, and availability. However, their processing difficulties and non-biodegradable nature raise environmental concerns. Natural plant fibers such as jute fibers offer a sustainable alternative, with comparable specific properties and advantages like renewability and biodegradability. To improve jute fiber composites’ mechanical performances for structural and semi-structural applications, hybrid composites combining natural and synthetic fibers are gaining attention. These hybrids integrate the strengths of both fiber types to produce cost-effective, lightweight, load bearing, and sustainable composites. Despite these advantages, challenges remain in designing fiber architectures that reduce crimp and avoid complex draping to achieve high mechanical performance in hybrid composites. This study addresses these challenges by developing hybrid laminates reinforced with customized, unidirectional, crimp-free preforms made from commercially available jute yarns and glass rovings arranged in different stacking sequences. The mechanical performance of the hybrid composites was strongly influenced by the stacking sequence and showed significant improvements compared to fully jute-based composites. Laminates with glass preforms in the outer skin layers achieved a tensile strength of 165 MPa, compared to approximately 79 MPa for pure jute composites. A notable increase in flexural strength (∼375 MPa) was also observed, exceeding pure jute and pure glass composites by about 153% and 2.03%, respectively. Furthermore, configurations with glass skins and jute cores provided improved fiber–matrix interfacial bonding, leading to enhanced mechanical properties and reduced water absorption. These results were supported by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and SEM analyses. Overall, the developed hybrid composites demonstrate improved mechanical performance and structural integrity, indicating strong potential for structural and semi-structural applications in automotive, marine, and other engineering sectors.
Molla et al. (Wed,) studied this question.