Experimental Investigations on Thermo-Kinetic Properties of Ramie and Glass Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composites

Epoxy matrix reinforced with natural fibres has attracted a great attention in several applications due to its cost efficiency and energy efficiency during fabrication. In this work, Eco-friendly, and green, Ramie fibres were used to develop hybrid composite laminates which can be used for engineering applications. The goal of this research work was to study the thermal properties of different wt% of the ramie and glass fibre composites when it is exposed to different heating rates of 5, 7.5 and 10 °C/min in a simultaneous Differential scanning calorimetry-Thermogravimetric (DSC-TGA) Analyser. Test samples were prepared using dry hand layup method and compression moulding. From the results of DSC and TGA, it was clear that addition of glass fibre resulted in enhanced thermal stability compared to the ramie-epoxy composite. TGA results shows that ramie and glass in the epoxy hybrid composites having 10 and 20 wt% fibres have highest onset temperature of 599 °C and lower wt% of residue. Subsequently, the thermo-kinetics study was done on the composition having 10 wt% ramie with 20 wt% glass fibres with different heating rate of 5, 7.5 and 10 °C/min heating rate. The effect of heating rate on the different hybrid samples was also investigated and it was found that there is shift in the decomposition temperature towards the higher side with increasing heating rate. The Flynwall-Ozawa and Kissinger approaches were used to evaluate the kinetic parameters such as activation energy and pre-exponential component and the activation energy was found to have a value of 211 kJ/mol. This research work attempts to use both ramie fibre and glass fibre in plain woven form to develop a series of newer epoxy hybrid composite laminates. Ramie fibers provide best heat resistance, superior tensile strength, and modulus other than the jute, flex, hemp and sisal fibres. This property will help the hybrid composite materials made from ramie and glass fibres to have better thermal stability and heat resistance.