Effects of jute fabric structures on the performance of jute-reinforced polypropylene composites

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study among different jute fabric structures in jute-reinforced polypropylene composites. Knitted and woven fabrics of different structures are produced, which are subsequently consolidated into composite materials using a heat-press method. The variation of mechanical properties and water absorption characteristics of different jute fabrics alone are evaluated and described. The effects of fabric structures on the performance of resulting composites are investigated. Composites having twill structure fabrics had the highest value of tensile strength (48 MPa), which was 134% higher than that of composites having plain structure fabrics. Water uptake of composites having rib structure fabrics was found to be 58% less than that of the composites having plain structure fabrics.