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Journal of Experimental & Applied Mechanics Original Research

Design and Development of Fiber Sandwiched Composite Materials for the Improvement of Mechanical Properties

  1. Rone Department of Mechanical Engineering, EIT, Faridabad,
  2. Praveen Kumar Choudhary Department of Mechanical Engineering, EIT, Faridabad

Abstract

This research paper presents the development and mechanical characterization of fiber sandwiched composite materials (FSCM) to address the increasing demand for high-strength, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant materials in advanced engineering sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and transportation industries. Traditional homogeneous materials such as metals, ceramics, and polymers often fail to provide a balanced combination of properties like high tensile strength, low density, toughness, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance needed for modern structural applications. In contrast, composite materials, which consist of a reinforcement phase (fibers/particles/flakes) and a continuous matrix phase, offer superior performance through enhanced strength-to-weight ratio and customizable properties. In this study, laminated sandwich composite specimens are fabricated using teakwood as the core material, reinforced with different fiber laminae, including carbon fiber, aramid fiber, jute fiber, and banana fiber. All fiber orientations are maintained at 0° to achieve uniform structural behavior and to simplify comparative evaluation. The FSCM samples are manufactured by adopting the hand lay-up technique, which is cost-effective and suitable for experimental as well as small-scale industrial production. The fabricated composites are experimentally evaluated for key mechanical properties such as tensile strength, bending strength, and impact strength, following standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) testing procedures. Additionally, the experimental results are supported and validated through finite element analysis (FEA) to improve the reliability of the findings. The main objective of this research paper is to compare the performance of different fiber-reinforced sandwich combinations and to identify the optimum material configuration that provides improved mechanical strength with reduced weight, making it suitable for practical structural applications.

Keywords

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