Mechanical Properties of Woven Mat Jute/Epoxy Composites

Natural fibers combine technological, economic and ecological aspects. However, a major restriction on their successful use in long term composite applications is their high moisture absorption and poor dimensional stability. This paper is aimed at establishing a link between the mats grammage and the mechanical properties of the epoxy/jute fibers laminates. Composites reinforced by coarse, medium and fine (C, M and F) mats were processed by vacuum bagging. Some batches were immersed in water up to 60 days in order to study the hydro-degradation. Mechanical tests were performed to obtain the bending strength and impact response. The mechanical response to bending and impact loadings was conditioned not only by the percentage of fiber, but also by the thickness of the specimens, which leads to composites F having lower strength than composites C despite having a higher percentage of fiber. Immersion in water causes a marked loss of mechanical properties in the first days of immersion, especially for thinner fiber grammage composites. A strong influence of the mats grammage on the impact response was observed. Increasing mats grammage promotes a strong increase in peak load, restored energy and impact energy for perforation and also a marked reduction of the deformation.

Key-words:
Composites; jute; natural fibers; mechanical properties; impact response