Page 31 - Template Tesis UTM v2.0

abundant in supplies, making them easy to obtain [11]. These cellulosic materials

contribute to the disposable ratio of the composite products at the end of product life
cycle. Joshi et. al [12] conducted life cycle assessment (LCA) on a side panel of Audi

A3 car made using ABS co-polymer and alternative material using hemp/epoxy
composite and found that natural fibre component uses 45% less energy, resulting in

lower air emission. Apart from that, natural fibres have their limitations and
drawbacks, this includes their hydrophilic nature, lower durability and lower strength

[13]. To overcome these shortcomings, the introduction of natural fibres-based hybrid

composites with man-made fibres has garnered much interest. In this light, the
development of hybrid composite materials is very crucial to overcome the weaknesses

and drawbacks of almost natural fibres, where the combination of reinforcements
between synthetic fibres of E-glass with natural fibres of basalt, jute and flax could

potentially compensate the limitation attributes of single reinforcement composites. In
addition, the idea of creating hybrid composite materials can be considered as a

preliminary stage in the production of smart composite structure as suggested by

Meyer and Lachat [10]. The combination of two or more types of fibres in creating
hybrid composites could potentially create a material with the combined advantages

of the individual components and mitigate the less desirable properties to suit the

specific requirements [14]. As found by previous research, the hybrid composite of
glass/basalt has shown a better performance in resisting impact loading compared to

GFRP, as basalt layers compensate the poor damage resistance and tolerance capability
of glass fibres [15].

During application, it is very crucial to investigate and characterise the physical
and mechanical properties of the new materials development, especially in resisting

static and dynamic loading conditions. Different types of loadings acting on the

composite structure significantly affected its reflecting behaviours and unconditionally
influenced in the specific circumstances. Tension, bending and quasi-static indentation

loadings were applied for hybrid and pure composites to characterise their mechanical
properties in resisting static loadings at three difference environments. In addition, the

effect of stacking sequence as well as the effect of hybridisation are less reported for

hybrid composites in resisting different loading conditions. Is it the superior tensile
properties exhibited by the hybrid composite can generalize the whole properties of

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