Thermal and Microstructural Evaluation of Natural-Glass Fiber Hybrid Composites: Sustainable Alternatives to Synthetic Materials

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | 02 | Page :
    By

    Simma Manikanta,

  • Sreeramulu Dowluru,

  • B.V.V. Prasada Rao,

  • Raghuveer Dontikurti,

  • Santhosh Kumar Dubba,

  1. M.Tech Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh,
  2. Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh, India
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh, India
  5. Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aditya Institute of Technology and Management, Tekkali, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

The scope of engineering requirements for composite materials, which mix features from several elements engaged in engineering applications to enable greater performance, cannot be adequately understood in this way. The most recent of these materials are hybrid composites, which combine synthetic and natural fibers, particularly glass fibers, and are anticipated to create new, promising materials in terms of their ties to cost, performance, and consistency. From the perspective of their qualities as reinforcements, the majority of natural fibers, including jute, banana, and sugarcane, are lightweight, biodegradable, and renewable, making them environmentally desirable. However, these materials cannot be employed on their own to strengthen high-performance conditions because of their poor mechanical strength and limited thermal stability. By enhancing overall strength, dimensional stability, and durability, their combination with glass fibers overcomes these limitations. In this work, these natural fibers—jute, banana, and sugarcane—were processed and combined with glass and epoxy resin to create hybrid composites using the traditional hand lay-up method. Thermal characterisation, including TGA, DTA, thermal conductivity, and effusivity studies, is employed for the produced composites. In contrast, the microstructure characterization was done at the SEM and AFM levels. The findings of the experiment showed that pure glass fiber composites had the best stability and thermal conductivity, indicating that they had comparatively greater heat resistance. Conversely, the performance of hybrid composites varies based on the type of reinforcement provided by natural fibers. With better interfacial bonding, appropriate fiber dispersion, and comparatively low heat conductivity, the banana-glass fiber hybrid composite demonstrated the best level of balanced performance among the investigated configurations. When comparing banana-glass hybrids to jute or sugarcane-glass systems, the results of scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy showed that fiber-matrix adhesion is improved and microvoids formation is decreased. Overall, adding natural fibers to a glass fiber composite makes it more environmentally friendly without significantly compromising its mechanical or thermal performance.

Keywords: Hybrid composites, Natural fibers, Glass fiber, Thermal properties, Fiber–matrix bonding.

How to cite this article:
Simma Manikanta, Sreeramulu Dowluru, B.V.V. Prasada Rao, Raghuveer Dontikurti, Santhosh Kumar Dubba. Thermal and Microstructural Evaluation of Natural-Glass Fiber Hybrid Composites: Sustainable Alternatives to Synthetic Materials. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):-.
How to cite this URL:
Simma Manikanta, Sreeramulu Dowluru, B.V.V. Prasada Rao, Raghuveer Dontikurti, Santhosh Kumar Dubba. Thermal and Microstructural Evaluation of Natural-Glass Fiber Hybrid Composites: Sustainable Alternatives to Synthetic Materials. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=240373


References

[1]. Dixit A, Mali HS. Modeling techniques for predicting the mechanical properties of woven-fabric textile composites: a Review. Mech Compos Mater. 2013 Mar;49(1):1–20.

[2]. Priyanka P, Dixit A, Mali HS. High-Strength Hybrid Textile Composites with Carbon, Kevlar, and E-Glass Fibers for Impact-Resistant Structures. A Review. Mech Compos Mater. 2017 Nov;53(5):685–704.

[3]. Dixit A, Mali HS, Misra RK. Investigation of the Thermomechanical Behavior of a 2 × 2 TWILL Weave Fabric Advanced Textile Composite. Mech Compos Mater. 2015 May;51(2):253–64.

[4]. Joshi SV, Drzal LT, Mohanty AK, Arora S. Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites? Compos Part Appl Sci Manuf. 2004 Mar;35(3):371–6.

[5]. Di Luccio G, Michel L, Ferrier E, Martinelli E. Seismic retrofitting of RC walls externally strengthened by flax–FRP strips. Compos Part B Eng. 2017 Oct;127:133–49.

[6]. Ferreira SR, Pepe M, Martinelli E, De Andrade Silva F, Toledo Filho RD. Influence of natural fibers characteristics on the interface mechanics with cement-based matrices. Compos Part B Eng. 2018 May;140:183–96.

[7]. Nirbhay M, Misra RK, Dixit A. Finite-Element Analysis of Jute- and Coir-Fiber-Reinforced Hybrid Composite Multipanel Plates. Mech Compos Mater. 2015 Sept;51(4):505–20.

[8]. Dalbehera S. Study on mechanical properties of natural fiber reinforced woven jute-glass hybrid epoxy composites [Internet].Unpublished;2015[cited,2025-Nov-22]. Available from:

https://www.researchgate.net/doi/10.13140/RG.2.1.1589.6486

[9]. Saw SK, Sarkhel G, Choudhury A. Dynamic mechanical analysis of randomly oriented short bagasse/coir hybrid fibre-reinforced epoxy novolac composites. Fibers Polym. 2011 July;12(4):506–13.

[10]. Thwe MM, Liao K. Durability of bamboo-glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix hybrid composites. Compos Sci Technol. 2003 Feb;63(3–4):375–87.

[11]. Dayo AQ, Gao B chang, Wang J, Liu W bin, Derradji M, Shah AH, et al. Natural hemp fiber reinforced polybenzoxazine composites: Curing behavior, mechanical and thermal properties. Compos Sci Technol. 2017 May;144:114–24.

[12]. Sathishkumar T, Naveen J, Satheeshkumar S. Hybrid fiber reinforced polymer composites – a review. J Reinf Plast Compos. 2014 Mar;33(5):454–71.

[13]. Hossain RM, Islam A, Van Vuure AW, Ignaas V. Effect of Fiber Orientation on the Tensile Properties of Jute Epoxy Laminated Composite. J Sci Res. 2012 Dec 26;5(1):43–54.

[14]. Fakorede DO, Ebit FO, Daodu AE, Agbonko EB, Bello KA, Oyewo AT. Theoretical and experimental investigation for enhanced thermo-mechanical and microstructural behavior of glass/carbon hybrids for automotive applications. Hybrid Adv. 2025 Dec;11:100546.

[15]. Sari NH, Suteja S, Hidayatullah S, Al-Farizi FH, Lokantara IP. Performance evaluation of hybrid sisalana Agave fiber and carbon powder in polyester composites: A study on mechanical, thermal, and microstructural characteristics. Case Stud Chem Environ Eng. 2025 June;11:101215.

[16]. Mohit H, Vamsi Krishna VV, Sanjay MR, Siengchin S, Alarifi IM, Alblawi A, et al. Thermal-mechanical characteristics of groundnut shell/ ATH/ Si/ SiC ceramic particulates reinforced glass fiber-epoxy hybrid composites. J Mater Res Technol. 2025 July;37:3924–40.

[17]. Ganesan SK, Balasubramanian K, Ganesan B, Stanislaus Arputharaj B, Rajendran P, Singh S, et al. Experimental investigation on thermal properties of banana/jute with glass fibers reinforced polymer hybrid composite materials. Mater. 2026 Jan;10:101377.

[18]. Cao Y, Shibata S, Fukumoto I. Mechanical properties of biodegradable composites reinforced with bagasse fibre before and after alkali treatments. Compos Part Appl Sci Manuf. 2006 Mar;37(3):423–9.

[19]. Rahman MdR, Huque MdM, Islam MdN, Hasan M. Improvement of physico-mechanical properties of jute fiber reinforced polypropylene composites by post-treatment. Compos Part Appl Sci Manuf. 2008 Nov;39(11):1739–47.

[20]. Ramesh M, Palanikumar K, Reddy KH. Comparative Evaluation on Properties of Hybrid Glass Fiber- Sisal/Jute Reinforced Epoxy Composites. Procedia Eng. 2013;51:745–50-.

[21]. Tewari M, V.K S, P.C G, Chaudhary AK. Evaluation of mechanical properties of bagasse-glass fiber reinforced composite. J Mater Env Sci. 3(1):171–84.

[22]. Rantanen J, Dimic-Misic K, Kuusisto J, Maloney TC. The effect of micro and nanofibrillated cellulose water uptake on high filler content composite paper properties and furnish dewatering. Cellulose. 2015 Dec;22(6):4003–15.

[23]. Devireddy SBR, Biswas S. Physical and mechanical behavior of unidirectional banana/jute fiber reinforced epoxy-based hybrid composites. Polym Compos. 2017 July;38(7):1396–403.

[24]. Temitayo Oyewo A, Olugbemiga Oluwole O, Olufemi Ajide O, Emmanuel Omoniyi T, Hussain M. Banana pseudo stem fiber, hybrid composites and applications: A review. Hybrid Adv. 2023 Dec;4:100101.

 

Ahead of Print Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
02
Received 15/10/2025
Accepted 24/11/2025
Published 20/04/2026
Publication Time 187 Days
1

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics