MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE OF JUTE/EPOXY AND HYBRID GLASS/JUTE EPOXY COMPOSITES

摘要

Biodegradable materials are desired to replace conventional synthetic materials for reducingrnwaste products and hazardous environmental effects. At the same time, it is also essential to meetrnthe mechanical properties required with less weight and cost for applications such as inrnautomobile, aerospace and commercial industries. In this work, we have fabricated four differentrnsets, 1) jute/epoxy without treatment (control), 2) jute/epoxy, 3) jute/glass/epoxy, and 4)rnglass/epoxy composites. At first in sets 2-3, jute fabric was alkali treated and silanernfunctionalized to remove impurities and enhance compatibility with the polymer. Compositesrn(set 1-4) were than fabricated using compression mold process. 3-point bend test was performedrnto evaluate and compare the flexural properties. Results showed that the properties of treated andrnfunctionalized jute/epoxy samples were higher than control samples (without treatment). Hybridrncomposite mechanical properties were found in 70-80% range in comparison to glass/epoxyrncomposites. Results of hybrid composites showed significant reduction in weight and cost whilernmaintaining the properties in a considerable range in comparison to glass/epoxy composites.