Study of Physio-Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Resin Reinforced Maize Cob and Glass Fibre Hybrid Composites

Natural and synthetic fibre hybrid composites are becoming more popular in engineering due to their ecofriendliness, lightweight nature, and low cost. This study focused on creating Maize Cob (MC)/Glass Fibre (GF) hybrid Epoxy Resin (ER) composites using hand-lay-up techniques with a 10% filler content. Various filler combinations (1%GF/9%MC, 7%GF/3%MC, 5%GF/5%MC, 3%GF/7%MC) in 90% ER were tested for physical and mechanical properties. The findings revealed that density decreased with higher filler content, ranging from 1.52 to 1.20 g/cm³, and water absorption increased due to voids and agglomeration. The 5%GF/5%MC/ER composite demonstrated good tensile strength (67.65 MPa) and flexural strength (60.79 MPa) owing to effective filler-matrix integration, while impact strength improved significantly from 1.73 J/m for 100% ER to 2.48 J/m for 5%GF/5%MC/ER. The study concluded that MC/GF hybrid epoxy resin composites offer a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to waste disposal and management.