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.
Santhosha M,
Lokesh K S,
Manjunatha G M,
Sandhya D S,
Venkatesh K C,
- Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Srinivas University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Srinivas University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Srinivas Institute of Technology, Srinivas University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Srinivas University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Srinivas University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of civil engineering, BGS Institute of Technology, Adichunchanagiri University, Karnataka, India
- Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering Ballari Institute of Technology and Management, Ballari, Karnataka, India
Abstract
The present study aims to determine the behavior of hemp fiber-reinforced epoxy composites in terms of bending behavior and fracture toughness under bending load resembles the substitutive behavior of existing synthetic composites. The fabrication was carried out by hand lay-up assembly of hemp fiber with Lapox-12 epoxy resin volume fraction of 60:40 fiber: matrix volume. Flexural testing revealed an average strength of 93.5 ± 2.8 MPa and SENB testing revealed high notch sensitivity with ultimate stress of 181 ± 5.43 MPa and hence there is a need to ensure that the stress concentration is controlled. The XG-Boost model was created to forecast composite behavior and it proved to agree well with the experimental data, minimal residual errors (between 0.02) and bias in various load ranges. The residual analysis showed the error distribution to be close to normal as it indicated the viability of the model. These results, together with the sustainability advantages of renewability and minimized environmental footprint, justify the use of hemp-epoxy composites and the use of machine learning to minimize the experimental effort in material design. Present findings justify the usage of hemp-epoxy composites in work such as automotive interiors, building panels, and consumer products, and also demonstrate machine learning as a potent resource to limit the experimental effort to designing materials in the future.
Keywords: SENB test, Bending test, Hemp/epoxy composite, ML-modelling, Polynomial Regression.
Santhosha M, Lokesh K S, Manjunatha G M, Sandhya D S, Venkatesh K C. Bending and Single Edge Notch Bending Test (SENB) Investigation of Hemp Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites using Machine Learning. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-.
Santhosha M, Lokesh K S, Manjunatha G M, Sandhya D S, Venkatesh K C. Bending and Single Edge Notch Bending Test (SENB) Investigation of Hemp Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites using Machine Learning. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(03):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=243726
References
- Hull, D., & Clyne, T. W. (1996). An Introduction to Composite Materials. Cambridge University Press.
- Matthews, F. L., & Rawlings, R. D. (1999). Composite Materials: Engineering and Science. Woodhead Publishing.
- Joshi, S. V., Drzal, L. T., Mohanty, A. K., & Arora, S. (2004). Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites? Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 35(3), 371-376.
- Dittenber, D. B., & Ganga Rao, H. V. (2012). Critical review of recent publications on use of natural composites in infrastructure. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 43(8), 1419-1429.
- Faruk, O., Bledzki, A. K., Fink, H. P., & Sain, M. (2012). Bio composites reinforced with natural fibers: 2000–2010. Progress in Polymer Science, 37(11), 1552-1596.
- Koronis, G., Silva, A., & Fontul, M. (2013). Green composites: A review of adequate materials for automotive applications. Composites Part B: Engineering, 44(1), 120-127.
- Pickering, K. L., Efendy, M. G. A., & Le, T. M. (2016). A review of recent developments in natural fibre composites and their mechanical performance. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 83, 98-112.
- Thyavihalli Girijappa, Y. G., Rangappa, S. M., Parameswaranpillai, J., & Siengchin, S. (2019). Natural fibers as sustainable and renewable resource for development of eco-friendly composites. Polymer Composites, 40(12), 4535-4552.
- Li, X., Tabil, L. G., & Panigrahi, S. (2007). Chemical treatments of natural fiber for use in natural fiber-reinforced composites: A review. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 15(1), 25-33.
- Ku, H., Wang, H., Pattarachaiyakoop, N., & Trada, M. (2011). A review on the tensile properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites. Composites Part B: Engineering, 42(4), 856-873.
- Mohammed, L., Ansari, M. N. M., Pua, G., Jawaid, M., & Islam, M. S. (2015). A review on natural fiber reinforced polymer composite and its applications. International Journal of Polymer Science, 2015, Article ID 243947.
- Gurunathan, T., Mohanty, S., & Nayak, S. K. (2015). A review of the recent developments in biocomposites based on natural fibres and their application perspectives. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 77, 1-25.
- Ahmad, F., Choi, H. S., & Park, M. K. (2015). A review: Natural fiber composites selection in view of mechanical, light weight, and economic properties. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 300(1), 10-24.
- Lau, K. T., Hung, P. Y., Zhu, M. H., & Hui, D. (2018). Properties of natural fibre composites for structural engineering applications. Composites Part B: Engineering, 136, 222-233.
- Sarasini, F., & Fiore, V. (2018). A systematic literature review on less common natural fibres and their biocomposites. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 240-267.
- Islam, M. S., Ahmad, M. B., Hasan, M., Aziz, A. A., Jawaid, M., Haafiz, M. K., & Zakaria, S. A. (2015). Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: A review on tensile and flexural properties. Journal of Polymer Engineering, 35(4), 303-315.
- Chard, A., Cree, D., & Butterfield, T. (2019). Mechanical properties of aligned hemp fibre reinforced epoxy composites. Journal of Composite Materials, 53(15), 2105-2116.
- Scarponi, C., Messano, M., & Pizzinelli, C. S. (2015). Flexural behavior of hemp fiber reinforced polymer composites. Composite Structures, 132, 1043-1052.
- Yan, L., Chouw, N., & Jayaraman, K. (2014). Flax fibre and its composites – A review. Composites Part B: Engineering, 56, 296-317.
- Sezgin, H., & Berkalp, O. B. (2017). The effect of alkali treatment on flexural properties of hemp reinforced composites. Journal of Natural Fibers, 14(5), 665-675.
- Saw, S. K., & Datta, C. (2009). Thermomechanical properties of jute/bagasse hybrid fibre reinforced epoxy thermoset composites. BioResources, 4(4), 1455-1476.
- ASTM D790-17. (2017). Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials. ASTM International.
- ASTM D5045-14. (2014). Standard Test Methods for Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness and Strain Energy Release Rate of Plastic Materials. ASTM International.
- Lokesh, K. S., Mayya, D. S., Shetty, S. S., Venkatesh, K. C., Babu, G. R., Govindaraju, H., & Yashwanth, H. L. (2025). Thermo-mechanical performance of Kevlar-based hybrid natural fiber composites pre-coated with termite modified epoxy polymer. Results in Engineering, Article 107719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2025.107719
- K. Kaw, Mechanics of Composite Materials, 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2006. [26] L. A. Pothan, Z. Oommen, and S. Thomas, “Dynamic mechanical analysis of banana fiber reinforced polyester composites,” Composites Science and Technology, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 283-293, 2003.
- R. Sanjay, P. Madhu, M. Jawaid, P. Senthamaraikannan, S. Senthil, and S. Pradeep, “Characterization and properties of natural fiber polymer composites: A comprehensive review,” Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 172, pp. 566-581, 2018.
- Bourmaud and C. Baley, “Rigidity analysis of polypropylene/vegetal fibre composites after recycling,” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 94, no. 3, pp. 297-305, 2009.
- Broek, Elementary Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 4th ed. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 1986.
- W. Hertzberg, R. P. Vinci, and J. L. Hertzberg, Deformation and Fracture Mechs of Engineering Materials, 5th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
- V. Joshi, L. T. Drzal, A. K. Mohanty, and S. Arora, Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 371-376, 2004.
- Van de Velde and P. Kiekens, Biopolymers: overview of several properties and consequences on their applications, Polymer Testing, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 433-442, 2002
- Mohammed, M. M.; Oleiwi, J. K.; Mohammed, A. M.; Osman, A. F.; Adam, T.; Betar, B. O.; Gopinath, S. C. B. Artificial Intelligence Approaches in Predicting the Mechanical Properties of Natural Fiber-Reinforced Concrete: A Comprehensive Review. SSRN Electronic Journal
- Malashin, I. P.; Martysyuk, D.; Nelyub, V. et al. Deep learning for property prediction of natural fiber polymer composites. Sci. Rep. 2025, 15, 27837.
- Al-Jarrah, R.; AL-Oqla, F. M. A novel integrated BPNN/SNN artificial neural network for predicting the mechanical performance of green fibers for better composite manufacturing. Struct. 2022, 289, 115475.
- Turco, C.; Funari, M. F.; Teixeira, E.; Mateus, R. Artificial Neural Networks to Predict the Mechanical Properties of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs). Fibers 2021, 9(12), 78.

Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 |
| 03 | |
| Received | 18/04/2026 |
| Accepted | 05/05/2026 |
| Published | 13/05/2026 |
| Publication Time | 25 Days |
Login
PlumX Metrics