Mechanical and thermal properties of untreated and chemically treated jute fibre reinforced composites

Abstract

Composite materials based on natural fibres, especially jute, have the potential to be used in engineering load bearing applications. The presence of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups in its structure results poor adhesion with the polymeric matrix. To improve fibre matrix adhesion, different concentration of alkali (NaOH) treatment on the fibres was carried out. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the changes of fibres chemical constituents after treatment. Jute-polyester composites were prepared by hand lay-up method. Mechanical properties such as flexural and compressive strength, modulus and strain at break of untreated and treated fibre composites were studied and compared. Best results were observed on compressive and flexural properties respectively for 5% and 7% NaOH treated samples. Thermal stability was also enhanced for the treated fibres. In general, thermal and mechanical properties of the treated fibres and their composites were superior to the untreated fibres.