INVESTIGATION OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SUGARCANE BAGASSE AND SISAL HYBRID FIBER POLYESTER COMPOSITE FOR TOYOTA RAUM INNER DOOR PANEL APPLICATION

Currently, composite materials are becoming popular in the automotive and aeronautics
industries because of their high strength-to-weight ratio compared to traditional engineering
materials. Bio-fiber composites are among natural fiber composites with carbon negative, bio
degradable and renewable capabilities. In this research, the main aim was to investigate the
mechanical and water-absorbing properties of sisal and sugarcane bagasse hybrid fiber
polyester composite. During the manufacturing methods, extracting sisal fiber from the sisal
plant, cutting of sugarcane bagasse fiber into chopped form and chemical treatment of the fibers
with 5% NaOH solution for 24 hours were pre manufacturing process. Measuring the weight
of these two constituent fibers in three different proportions as 10%Wt of sisal fiber with
20%Wt of sugarcane bagasse fiber (10S/20B), 15%Wt of sisal fiber with 15%Wt of sugarcane
bagasse fiber (15S/15B) and 20%Wt of sisal fiber with 10%Wt of sugarcane bagasse fiber (the
20S/10B) to be manufactured in three different layering sequences of Sisal-Bagasse-Sisal
(SBS), Uniform mixing (UNF) and Bagasse-Sisal-Bagasse (BSB) at two different curing
temperatures (25°C and 60°C) was the next process. Hand layup these metered fibers with
polyester resin and pressing with a hydraulic press machine in the confined steel molds was
the second process. The manufactured samples were cut into the appropriate dimensions based
on ASTM standards of 2017 for each test after they have been cured enough