Epoxy/cashew nut shell liquid hybrid polymer composite reinforced with sisal fiber mat and stainless steel wire mesh: mechanical and thermal behavior study

Attentions are focused on developing a special type of hybrid polymer matrix consisting of a combination of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and epoxy polymer composites with sisal fiber mat and stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) as reinforcements. The present research addresses two different issues such as focusing on developing sustainable materials and also, renewable and cost-effective alternatives to synthetic counterparts. The composite materials were fabricated using compression molding and their performance was assessed by examining mechanical and thermal behavior. Hybrid polymer composites (HP) have comparatively lower flexural performance than plain epoxy polymer composites (EP), i.e., a decrease from 42 to 38.5 MPa. However, when the SSWM along with sisal fiber mat was incorporated into the hybrid polymer, the flexural performance increased almost equivalent to that of the sisal fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer composites, i.e., 98.2–120 MPa. With a fairly increase in the tensile performance of the composite laminate, the flexural performance could be increased by incorporating SSWM into the hybrid polymer. More than 50% enhancement in impact strength, i.e., 0.3 to ~ 1.0 J, was observed for the hybrid polymer reinforced with sisal and SSWM compared to composites without SSWM reinforcement. The inclusion of SSWM into the composites and also modifying epoxy as a hybrid polymer matrix showed a detrimental effect on the thermal stability of the composite material.