Effects of jute fiber length and weight percentage on quasi-static flexural and dynamic mechanical properties of jute/polyester composites for thin-walled structure applications

摘要

? 2022 Elsevier LtdNatural fiber reinforced polymer composites are being widely used in aerospace and automotive applications. These are due to their low density and cost, better biodegradability and higher specific strength and modulus, which replace E-glass fiber reinforced polymer composites. Moreover, quasi-isotropic properties can be achieved with randomly orientated short natural fiber composites. These composite structures are subjected to dynamic loading and exposed to different temperatures and frequencies during their service. In this research, the influence of fiber parameters (fiber length and loading) on quasi-static flexural and dynamic mechanical properties of jute/polyester composites was studied. Dynamic mechanical properties were investigated at different frequencies (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 5 Hz) and temperatures from 35 °C up to 190 °C. It has found that the composite sample with 5 mm length and 25 wt (5JP25) exhibited the highest flexural strength of 94 MPa and flexural modulus of 7.45 GPa. However, the composite sample with 15 mm length and 25 wt (15JP25) exhibited a higher average storage modulus and a lower average loss factor indicating the good fiber–matrix adhesion, compared with the other samples. The Cole-Cole plot of the composite sample with the fiber weight percentage of 25 wt, indicated a perfect semi-circle. Good correlations were observed between the flexural and initial storage moduli values of pure polyester and composites.