Development and Mechanical Characterization of Light Weight Fiber Metal Laminate using Jute, Kenaf and Aluminium

This research focuses on the development and mechanical characterization of a lightweight sustainable fiber metal laminate (FML) using jute, kenaf, and aluminium. The objective is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing natural fiber composites in combination with aluminium to create a sustainable and lightweight material for various engineering applications. The mechanical behavior of metal laminates reinforced with jute and kenaf, with fiber concentrations ranging from 10% to 50%, is evaluated in this work. FMLs were fabricated using composite in the place of core and skin made up of metal. The mechanical behaviour of the developed FMLs was evaluated when they were subjected to tensile, flexural, and impact loading. The results showed that when the fiber percentage was set at 30 wt%, both jute and kenaf-based FMLs exhibited the best mechanical properties. Furthermore, kenaf-based FMLs (KFML) outperformed jute-based FMLs (JFML) in terms of mechanical properties. KFMLs had tensile and flexural strengths that were 4.76 and 10.2 percent higher than those of JFMLs with 30 weight percent fiber content. Kenaf-based FMLs exhibited an impact strength that was 8.19% more than that of jute-based FMLs.