Published Paper Details:

The demand for sustainable and high-performance roofing materials has intensified due to the environmental and mechanical limitations of asbestos, cement sheets and galvanized iron (GI). This study investigates a hybrid composite reinforced with basalt, hemp and banana fibres using LY556 epoxy, fabricated through the hand lay-up method in 3 mm and 5 mm thicknesses. Mechanical and physical evaluations, including tensile strength, flexural strength, hardness and water absorption were conducted according to ASTM standards. A material-properties-driven Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) optimization methodology was applied to identify the most suitable stacking sequence by considering tensile strength, flexural strength, water absorption, density, cost, availability and sustainability. This approach identified Basalt-Hemp-Banana for the 3 mm laminate and a symmetric Basalt-Hemp-Banana-Hemp-Basalt configuration for the 5 mm laminate. The 5 mm optimized laminate demonstrated improved performance compared to asbestos and cement roofing materials, achieving a tensile strength of 88 MPa and a flexural strength of 158 MPa, exceeding the values reported for asbestos and cement roofing materials. The laminate exhibited a Shore D hardness of 70 and a low water absorption of 0.73%, indicating strong durability and suitability for humid climates. The results confirm that the optimized hybrid composite is a viable, lightweight and eco-friendly alternative to selected conventional roofing solutions.