Development of sandwich using low-cost natural fibers: Alfa-Epoxy composite core and jute/metallic mesh-Epoxy hybrid skin composite

Alfa grass is one of the most abundant and renewable natural fiber resources in North Africa. In this regard, this work aimed to valorize this plant by preparing a sandwich panel composed of Alfa fiber-based core and a hybrid polymer matrix composite (jute and metallic mesh) as skin. The mechanic properties of the parts (the core, skin and whole sandwich composite) were evaluated by bending, tensile and non-destructive tests. Thanks to Alfa fiber-based core, the resulting sandwich performance was higher compared to other bio-based ones such as cork-based sandwiches but had higher density. The hybridization of the jute improves the rigidity of the skin (about 65% of Young and flexural modulus, respectively) but decries the tensile strength by about 23%. The sandwich breaking was strongly influenced by the stacking sequence of the skin, the presence of metallic mesh at the interface core/skin led to delamination, which reduces the mechanical properties of the sandwich. Overall, this sandwich could find useful application as a non-structural component in building materials (separation or roofs panels).