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This study investigated the impact of fibre reinforcement type, architecture and hybridization in the bonded joint mechanical performance of natural fibre-reinforced composite joints. Flax, bamboo and interlaminar hybrid bamboo/synthetic (Kevlar, glass and carbon) fibre-reinforced epoxy composites were fabricated through the vacuum bagging technique. In the assembly of the hybrid composites, the synthetic fabrics were strategically positioned on the outer layers, while bamboo fabrics were used as the core material. Single lap joints were fabricated and tested for each case. It was found that the fibre type significantly influences joint load capacity (flax fibre-reinforced joints exhibited higher failure loads compared to bamboo). Fibre architecture impacts the joint load capacity of flax-reinforced composites, with a 32% variation observed between Flax-Twill and Flax-Biax configurations. Hybridizing bamboo composites with synthetic fibres significantly improved their bonded joint performance, increasing failure load by up to 65% in Bamboo + Carbon joints. This enhancement resulted from an optimal balance of stiffness, strength and reduced bondline peel stresses. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanical properties of adhesively bonded joints in natural fibre-reinforced composites, which can be useful in the design and optimization of these materials for various engineering applications.
Oliveira et al. (Mon,) studied this question.