There is a growing shift toward a circular economy, aiming to maximize recycling, minimize waste streams, and favor renewable over fossil-based materials. In this context, the composites industry—particularly in sectors such as automotive, marine, and aeronautics, where composition control is critical to mechanical performance and structural integrity—relies on semi-products with tightly controlled material properties.
Most thermoset-based prepregs used in these sectors show minimal variation in resin content. However, some commercial prepregs exhibit significant resin bleed during curing under heat and pressure (e.g., in an autoclave or hot press).
This work explores the manufacture of a hybrid jute/glass-fiber laminate using a commercial glass-fiber prepreg and plain-weave jute fabric, with no additional resin, thereby maximizing resin utilization and minimizing waste. By leveraging resin bleed and strategic lamina placement, the goal is to achieve effective impregnation of the jute layers.
The composition of the resulting laminate was evaluated using a modified calcination method. Physical and mechanical properties—including density, tensile, and flexural behavior—were estimated via micromechanics and classical laminate theory and compared with experimental results.
Further characterization included Charpy impact strength and Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness via double-cantilever beam (DCB) testing. These results establish baseline values for comparison in future developments of this research.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, P.R.N.; methodology, P.R.N.; validation, J.F.S., R.G.C. and P.R.N.; formal analysis, J.F.S., R.G.C. and P.R.N.; investigation, R.M.M., B.C.S., R.G.C. and P.R.N.; resources, J.F.S.; writing—original draft preparation, R.M.M., B.C.S. and P.R.N.; writing—review and editing, J.F.S., R.G.C. and P.R.N.; visualization, P.R.N.; supervision, J.F.S. and P.R.N. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
The datasets presented in this article are not readily available because they are part of an ongoing study. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).