Experimental comparative study of banana fiber composite with glass fiber composite material using Taguchi method

Abstract In this research, the mechanical properties of banana and glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite is examined. The unidirectional banana and glass fiber composite are produced using the hand lay-up method. The Tensile strength and fracture toughness are measured to compare their mechanical characteristics. The thickness, length, and percentage of fiber volume fraction have been considered as the process parameters. The experiments were conducted using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. The analysis of variations is conducted to find the significant parameters and contribution of parameters. It was found that the volume fraction of fiber with matrix polyester has a higher contribution than other factors. It is also observed that the tensile strength and fracture toughness of glass fiber reinforced composite is 36.54% and 33.34% higher than banana fiber composite respectively.