Thermal Stability and Sound Absorption Behaviour of Sisal–Luffa Hybrid Epoxy Composites for Automotive Interior Applications

Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | Issue : 02 | Page : 144 157
    By

    Sarita Choudhary,

  • Umesh Gurnani,

  • Manoj Kumar Sain,

  1. Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Management, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
  2. Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Management, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
  3. Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology, Management & Gramothan, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Natural fiber–reinforced composites are gaining popularity as substitutes for synthetic fiber composites because of their environmental and sustainability advantages. Their adoption is steadily increasing across various industries. In automotive interior applications, these materials must exhibit strong thermal stability and efficient sound absorption to meet performance requirements. In this experiment, composites were made by mixing sisal and luffa fibers with epoxy resin. The hand lay-up method was used for fabrication. Two types of hybrid composites were prepared. In the first type, luffa fiber was kept constant at 30 wt.% and sisal fiber was varied at 10, 15, and 20 wt.%. In the second type, sisal fiber was fixed at 30 wt.% and luffa fiber was varied at 10, 15, and 20 wt.%. The thermal and acoustic behaviour of the composites was evaluated in this study. Thermal behaviour of the composites was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Sound absorption performance was evaluated using the impedance tube method by calculating the sound absorption coefficient. The tests were conduct for frequency range of 400–2000 Hz with 25 mm, 35 mm and 45 mm of thickness. The findings show that sisal-based composites have high char residue and good thermal stability. In contrast, luffa -based hybrid composites exhibit higher sound absorption due to their porous structure. Due to hybridization, both thermal and acoustic properties are improved. The composites ES30L15 and EL30S15 show optimum performance in both thermal and sound absorption behaviour. The maximum sound absorption coefficient increases from 0.30 to 0.38 at higher frequencies. In addition, these composites exhibit stable thermal behaviour before the onset of thermal degradation.

Keywords: Hybrid composites, thermal stability, sound absorption, automotive interiors, sisal, luffa

[This article belongs to Journal of Polymer & Composites ]

How to cite this article:
Sarita Choudhary, Umesh Gurnani, Manoj Kumar Sain. Thermal Stability and Sound Absorption Behaviour of Sisal–Luffa Hybrid Epoxy Composites for Automotive Interior Applications. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):144-157.
How to cite this URL:
Sarita Choudhary, Umesh Gurnani, Manoj Kumar Sain. Thermal Stability and Sound Absorption Behaviour of Sisal–Luffa Hybrid Epoxy Composites for Automotive Interior Applications. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):144-157. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=240474


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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
Issue 02
Received 10/02/2026
Accepted 05/03/2026
Published 30/03/2026
Publication Time 48 Days
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