Fracture behaviour and structural integrity of hemp fibre reinforced composites for low load-bearing aerospace applications

Abstract This paper presents a research undertaking on the mechanical performance of hemp fibre reinforced epoxy composites with special attention to tensile, flexural and impact behavior. The hand lay-up technique was used to produce laminates that were composed of different proportions of hemp fibres within the range between 25 wt% and 45 wt% in an epoxy base. The findings showed that composites with 35 wt% hemp fibre had the most balanced mechanical performance. This structure was found to have tensile