Abstract
Alkali and Silane surface treatments based off of work published previously (J Appl Polym Sci 71(4):623–629, 1999; Polym Eng Sci 49(7):1253–1272, 2009; Mater Sci Eng A 508(1–2):247–252, 2009) were applied to plain weave and unidirectional jute fabric to improve epoxy compatibility and reduce moisture affinity. Efficacy of treatments was proven with the use of wicking tests. Studies performed on the hand-layup method showed unacceptable void content. Laminated jute/epoxy composites were fabricated using Vacuum Infusion to create void-free samples. This process was improved through optimization for use with jute and the addition of a pre-compaction step to increase fiber volume fraction from 25 % to a maximum of 40 %. Mechanical testing on composites fabricated with raw and treated jute fabrics showed a 300 % increase in elastic modulus for treated jute fabric over neat epoxy resin. Moisture absorption testing (ASTM D570) showed a significant improvement in moisture resistance for silane-treated fabrics.
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References
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support of The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for funding this project and also thank Dr. Rice for his suggestions throughout the duration of project.
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© 2014 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.
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Pinto, M., Kim, Y.K., Lewis, A.F., Chalivendra, V. (2014). Fabrication and Mechanical Characterization of Jute Fiber/Epoxy Laminar Composites. In: Barthelat, F., Zavattieri, P., Korach, C., Prorok, B., Grande-Allen, K. (eds) Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Volume 4. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00777-9_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00777-9_25
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