Influence of pistachio shell filler addition and interply hybridization on mechanical and thermal performances of polyester composites

Owing to the crucial qualities such as strength, stiffness and durability, as well as low-cost manufacturing benefits, the fibre-reinforced composite materials are becoming more popular in structural applications. The current work basically focused on the influence of Pistachio shell particles (PSP) on mechanical performances of kenaf(K)/glass(G)/polyester hybrid laminates. Usual hand layup technique is used to fabricate different stacking order laminates such as KKKK, KGGK, GKKG, KGKG, and GGGG with PSP filler concentration of 1 wt%, 3 wt% and 5 wt%. The experimental findings reflect a noticeable improvement in mechanical properties with gradual inclusion of PSP filler. The KGKG laminate with 5 wt% of PSP shows an optimum tensile strength of 127.35 MPa and highest micro-hardness value of 21.35 HV, whereas KGKG laminate with 3 wt% of PSP exhibits a maximum flexural of 112.42 MPa and impact strength of 75.59 KJ/m2. The numerical analysis is also been carried out to validate the experimental results using ANSYS 19.0 software. On comparing the data of numerical analysis with experimental values, the deviation of result is found to be within the limit of 5% to 10%. Furthermore, the result of Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) has shown a highest amount of residue of 31.22% at 700°C in case of GKKG laminate with 5% of PSP filler. Again, at 5 wt% of PSP filler, the GKKG laminate has shown a lower water intake capability of 3.5% in comparison to KGKG and KGGK laminates at saturation time of 14 days. The fractography study has been conducted to examine the different mode of failure of laminates during testing by the help of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).