Journal of Engineering Sciences and Design, cilt.11, sa.2, ss.459-473, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
In this study, the hybridization process of carbon fabrics, which used in many areas today, and flax fabrics were carried out using two production methods, hand lay-up and vacuum bagging. The effects of both the production method and the hybridization process on the mechanical performance of the formed flax/carbon epoxy hybrid composites were investigated. Epoxy was used as a matrix element in production. Tensile and hardness tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the analyzed composite products. Moreover, the surface morphology of the samples broken after mechanical testing was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The experimental results reveal that the tensile strength of flax/carbon fiber hybrid composites increased from 226.36 MPa to 344.14 MPa when vacuum bagging method was used, resulting in an increase of 52.03% compared to hand lay-up method. An increment of 1.09% was achieved in comparison to hand lay-up when the hardness value reached 201.59 HV from 199.42 HV in linen/carbon fiber hybrid composites produced by vacuum bagging method. The results of the study reveal that both production methods are suitable for manufacturing of automotive parts using linen and carbon fiber fabrics, depending on the area to be used and the part to be produced.