Sustainable hybrid laminated composites reinforced with bamboo, flex banner, and glass fibers: impact of CaCO3 filler on mechanical properties

The increasing demand for sustainable polymer composites has driven the development of hybrid laminates that combine natural, recycled, and synthetic reinforcements while maintaining adequate mechanical performance. However, the combined influence of stacking sequence and mineral filler addition on the mechanical behavior of such sustainable hybrid systems remains insufficiently understood. In this study, sustainable hybrid laminated composites based on epoxy reinforced with glass fiber (G), bamboo fiber (B), and flex banner (F) were fabricated with varying stacking sequences and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) filler contents (0 and 1 wt.%). A total of nine laminate configurations were produced and evaluated through flexural and impact testing. The results demonstrate that mechanical performance is strongly governed by laminate architecture and filler addition. The bamboo-dominant G/B/B/B/G laminate containing 1 wt.% CaCO3 exhibited the highest flexural strength (191 MPa) and impact resistance (0.766 J/mm2), indicating a synergistic effect between reinforcement arrangement and CaCO3-induced matrix strengthening. In contrast, the lowest performance was observed for the G/F/B/F/G configuration without filler. Overall, all hybrid composites outperformed neat epoxy, highlighting the potential of bamboo–flex banner hybrid laminates with CaCO3 filler for sustainable composite applications requiring balanced mechanical properties. This work aligns with SDG 12 by promoting resource-efficient circular-economy practices through the utilization of flex banner material and natural fibers as reinforcements in epoxy-based hybrid composites.

Text 123680.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (6MB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/2/275

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