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This research investigates the manufacturing and characterisation of polyester-based composites reinforced with jute fibres and red mud particulates. The motivation stems from the need for sustainable, high-performance materials for applications in industries, like aerospace and automotive, where resistance to erosion is critical. Jute, a renewable fibre, combined with red mud, an industrial byproduct, offers an eco-friendly alternative to conventional composites. The composites were fabricated using compression moulding with varying red mud contents (10, 20, and 30 wt.%) and a fixed 40 wt.% of jute fibre. Fibre treatments included sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and silane treatments to improve bonding and performance. Erosion tests were performed using an air-jet erosion tester, examining the effects of the red mud content, fibre treatment, and impact angles. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis provided insights into the erosion mechanisms. A distinctive reduction in erosion rates at higher impact angles (30°–60°) was observed, attributed to the semi-ductile nature of the composites. The addition of red mud enhanced erosion resistance, although an excess of 30 wt.% reduced resistance due to poor surface bonding. Silane-treated composites showed the lowest erosion rates. This study provides new insights into the interplay among material composition, fibre treatment, and erosion dynamics, contributing to the development of optimised, eco-friendly composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybridisation of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs), particularly with the combination of natural and synthetic fibres, is a prominent option for their development. In the context of the construction industry, there is a notable gap in research on the use of jute and glass fibres for the strengthening of concrete structures. This paper presents comprehensive experimental results from tests on seven reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened for shear using synthetic, natural, and hybrid jute–glass FRP composites. The beams were reinforced using the externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) technique with U-wrap bonding. A beam without any strengthening was tested and set as a reference for the other beams. Two beams were tested with synthetic FRP shear strengthenings, one with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and another with glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP). The remaining tests were on RC beams strengthened with natural jute fibre-reinforced polymer (JFRP) and hybrid jute–glass FRP. The paper discusses the experimental behaviour of the tested beams in terms of vertical displacements, crack widths, and strains on steel bars, concrete, and FRP. The experimental strengths are also compared with theoretical estimates obtained using ACI 440.2R and fib Bulletin 90. The tests confirm the effectiveness of natural jute FRP and jute–glass hybrid FRP as an option for the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fibres (NFs) are utilized for making environment-friendly products inside the construction and automotive industries. Four distinct types of natural fibres, such as jute, sisal, banana, and palm (Asian palmyra) fibres, were treated separately with alkaline and acetylene chemical solutions to improve the strength of fibres. Hand-layup approach was used to fabricate the epoxy composite specimens with natural fibre reinforcement by varying the weight fractions of jute, banana, and palm fibres. Sisal fibres were maintained at a constant weight fraction of 50%. The intention of the existing study is to optimize the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and mechanical performance of three distinct fibres with varying ratios. The mechanical attributes such as tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and hardness values obtained from acetylene-treated samples are estimated at 203 MPa, 186 MPa, 27.7 J/m2, and 108.2. The epoxy matrix's excellent attachment strengthened and the proper scattering of the alkaline-treated natural fibre samples achieved the best ductile, flexural, hardness, and impact quality compared with acetylene-treated fibre samples. The DMA was used to explore the special mechanical properties of blends in the expression of capacity modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), and damping boundary. All of these kinds of hybrid composites can also be used in interior applications in the civil and automotive sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rising environmental awareness and dwindling oil supplies, many efforts have been made to replace synthetic fibres with plant fibre reinforced composites (PFRC). The need to eliminate plastics from everyday life has resulted in the development of a diverse range of eco-friendly natural-based composites for the automotive, chemical, and food packaging industries. PFRC plays an important role in the production of lightweight and cost-effective products. The current study looked at how different proportions of SiC/Al2O3 filler affected the mechanical properties of a plant fibre-based ramie/jute epoxy hybrid composite. By reinforcing a constant ramie (20 wt.%) and jute (10 wt.%) fibre with different proportions of SiC (2 –10 wt.%) and Al2O3 (0 –8 wt.%), hybrid composites were created using traditional stirring and compression moulding methods. The hybrid composite with 8% SiC and 2% Al2O3 (sample D) has higher tensile, flexural, hardness, impact, and interlaminar shear strength than the other combinations. The functional group of a nanoparticle-filled hybrid composite was evaluated using Fourier Transfer infrared Spectroscopy. Furthermore, SEM confirmed the excellent bonding of the viable hybrid composite combination's filler, fibre, and matrix. According to the findings, a nano filler content of 8% SiC and 2% Al2O3 can improve mechanical properties and serve as a viable reinforcement in hybrid polymer composites for major engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite materials increasingly use biofibres because of their lightweight, remarkable strength, stiffness, and biodegradability. Nanofillers are becoming more common in bio-nanocomposite (BNC) applications in industries like aeronautics and marine engineering. Research is underway to determine the effects of nanofiller alumina (Al2O3) and magnesia (MgO) on BNC tensile, bending, and impact properties when coupled with reinforcing surface-treated jute fibres. Vacuum-bagged composite laminates were made by adding Al2O3 and MgO nanofiller (50 nm in diameter) to the epoxy range from 1 to 4% by weight. One set of fibres was treated with a 5% NaOH solution to see the effect of surface treatment and nanofillers on the mechanical properties of the composite. Surface-treated jute-reinforced composite outperformed untreated in tensile, bending, and impact properties. While on the additive inclusion of 3% of nanofiller, the highest properties were achieved, the treated jute-reinforced MgO-filled laminates increased the tensile strength by 60%, flexural strength by 67%, and impact strength by 42% as compared to laminates without nanofillers. SEM images show an array of imperfections, including interfacial performance, fibre breakage, fibre withdrawal, agglomeration, cracks, and voids. Surface treatment and nanofillers were shown to enhance the BNC's mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of plastic is growing, and plastics are used in a variety of products. However, plastics are not biodegradable and do not decompose easily. To overcome the problems in decomposition of plastics, the use of a specific type of natural fibre composite (NFC) material for front-bumper in cars is considered in this investigation. NFCs have the advantages of being environmentally friendly, light weight and high strength. The use of jute fibre is adopted for the design of a car front bumper and compared with the plastic bumper through Finite Element Analysis. The aim is to identify their performances in terms of impact energy, strength and resilience. The results show that when both materials were simulated under the same impact force, jute fibre has a lower equivalent stress with 177.1 MPa compare with 293.18 MPa on plastic material. This finding indicates that jute fibre has greater yield limit and more resilient to fracture. The simulation result also shows that jute fibre has a higher equivalent stress of 65.55 MPa on the front bumper compare with a lower equivalent stress of 39.94 MPa on plastic. This suggests that plastic material will yield soon when an impact force is higher. The total deformation after the same impact force in jute fibre is 2.1 mm, which is significantly less than the deformation in plastic with 11.7 mm. Therefore, this research concludes that jute fibre can potentially replace plastic as a green composite material application to minimise environmental damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-stiffness and high-strength natural fibres are commonly utilized in thermoplastic matrices to manufacture biobased thermoplastic composites. Low-end applications such as construction and furniture industries do not require a high load-bearing capacity, thus favoring cost-effective, moderately strong, sustainable natural materials and quickly manufacture thermoplastic composites. Recycled biobased cotton fibres collected from the denim industry can effectively penetrate this composite industry due to their cost-effectiveness and desirable physical and mechanical properties. However, retaining structural integrity and enhancing the reinforcing efficiency of recycled yarns in composites pose challenges. Addressing these issues, we propose a new method of extracting recycled cotton from denim waste fabric and transforming it into dry preform with minimal damage to the structural integrity of cotton fibres. Jute fibres have been introduced alongside recycled denim fibers within a polypropylene matrix to optimize the hybrid reinforcing efficacy of the composites. The effect of denim fibre length on composite quasi-static tensile and flexural test results showed that a yarn length of 20 mm yielded the highest tensile strength (⁓27.83 MPa), tensile modulus (⁓ 1.76 GPa), flexural strength (⁓62.35 MPa), and flexural modulus (⁓1.17 GPa). Composites comprising recycled denim yarn and jute fibre improved the tensile modulus to approximately ⁓2.1 GPa and the impact strength to approximately ⁓66.1 kJ/m2, following the hybrid rule of mixture, while jute fiber serves to increase the stiffness and toughness of the composites. This work demonstrates that recycled denim cotton fibre and strong jute fibre can be successfully integrated into thermoplastic composites to achieve tailored mechanical properties.

This work aimed to investigate the low velocity impact behaviour of short jute fibre non-woven preform epoxy matrix composites experimentally. Dry fibre preforms were developed using an optimised process and a laboratory made preforming device. The effects of alkali and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA binder) treatments on impact performances of jute composites were investigated and compared at 3 J and 6 J impact energy levels. To identify the failure modes of tested composites, the X-ray µCT tomography was employed. The results demonstrated that the developed untreated short jute fibre preform reinforced composites absorbed a higher impact energy, when they were compared to treated (alkali or PVA binder) composites. For untreated composites, maximum impact forces at 3 J and 6 J energies, were found as ⁓2478 N and ⁓2319 N, respectively; for the PVA treatment these values were measured as ⁓2457 N and ⁓2216 N, while, at same energy levels, alkali treated composites showed the lowest values as ⁓1683 N and ⁓1440 N, respectively. Untreated jute fibre contains natural matrices such as hemicellulose, lignin and waxes, which ensured a positive response to absorb more energy upon impact loading. In contrast, the alkali treatment facilitates a highly fibre packed composite structure, which accelerated the impact crack propagation in tested composites, resulting in lower resistance to impact energy. Although, PVA treated composites showed reduced impact properties compared to untreated composites due to the PVA polymer brittleness on the treated fibre surface during the impact incidents, this treatment demonstrated better impact responses over the alkali treatment. The application of PVA binder on alkali-treated fibres provided an extra support to fibres and a better fibre/matrix interface and hence, this combined treatment demonstrated a slightly better impact resistance (⁓2027 N and ⁓1874 N impact forces at 3 J and 6 J respectively) compared to only alkali treated fibre composites. The SEM fracture images and the X-ray µCT damage analysis revealed different impact damage modes, which supported the observed impact results. The obtained results from this investigation could be helpful for using short jute fibre composites in various load demanding applications where impact incidents are likely to be happened.

The Fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has become popular in construction industry in last few decades. Various natural and artificial fibres are added in concrete to enhance the crack resistance property by developing some bonding between fibre and concrete. FRC is not only performs better than conventional concrete but also the fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has become popular in construction industry in last few decades. FRC is not only performs better than conventional concrete but also it reduces environmental pollution. Actually in many rural area, people are not concerned about the pollution and hygiene. The unused portion of sugarcane fibre, banana fibre, jute fibre are thrown into pond/ lake. After few days they decompose and rotten, that causes pollution in waterbody and disturb the ecosystem. The fibres can be used as additive in concrete to enhance their overall performance as well as to reduce environmental pollution. In this paper, a state-of-art review has been investigated on FRC and its different benefits. Different fibres such as jute fibre, coconut fibre, polypropylene, basalt, areca leaf, glass, mask, plastic, carbon and steel fibre were incorporated in concrete by several researchers in the past decades that have been highlighted in detail in this paper. The performance has been evaluated in terms of load displacement hysteretic pattern, stiffness, ductility, energy dissipation, crack resistance, durability and workability of FRC. The virtue and limitations of FRC have also been discussed. From the existing literature, it is found that the performance of FRC under dynamic load, Damage assessment, Time dependent assessment of damage, Effect of fibre in high-performance concrete (HPFRC) and Life cycle assessment are found as major literature gap that needs to be fulfilled. A case study on damage assessment of FRC has also been conducted in this paper. From the result it is found that the Carbon fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC), Steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) and Areca leaf sheath fibre reinforced concrete (ALSFRC) are experiencing lesser damage in compared to normal concrete without fibre. Based on the existing literature the future scope and probable direction of research of FRC have also been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have seen a substantial increase in interest in research on natural fibres that is aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Due to their renewable resources and biodegradability, natural fiberreinforced composites have been investigated as a sustainable alternative to synthetic materials to reduce the usage of hazardous waste and environmental pollution. Among the natural fibre, jute fibre obtained from a bast plant has an increasing trend in the application, especially as a reinforcement material. Numerous research works have been performed on jute fibre with regard to reinforced thermoset and thermoplastic composites. Nevertheless, current demands on sustainable materials have required new developments in thermoplastic composites. In this paper, the author reviews jute plants as reinforcement materials for thermoplastic matrix polymers. This review provides an overview of the sustainability of jute plants as reinforcement material for thermoplastic matrix polymers. The overview on jute based thermoplastic composites focused on the thermal behavior and mechanical properties. Apart from physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, the study also covers the current and perspectives for future research challenges faced by the researchers on jute fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybridisation of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs), particularly with the combination of natural and synthetic fibres, is a prominent option for their development. In the context of the construction industry, there is a notable gap in research on the use of jute and glass fibres for the strengthening of concrete structures. This paper presents comprehensive experimental results from tests on seven reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened for shear using synthetic, natural, and hybrid jute–glass FRP composites. The beams were reinforced using the externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) technique with U-wrap bonding. A beam without any strengthening was tested and set as a reference for the other beams. Two beams were tested with synthetic FRP shear strengthenings, one with carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and another with glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP). The remaining tests were on RC beams strengthened with natural jute fibre-reinforced polymer (JFRP) and hybrid jute–glass FRP. The paper discusses the experimental behaviour of the tested beams in terms of vertical displacements, crack widths, and strains on steel bars, concrete, and FRP. The experimental strengths are also compared with theoretical estimates obtained using ACI 440.2R and fib Bulletin 90. The tests confirm the effectiveness of natural jute FRP and jute–glass hybrid FRP as an option for the shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams.

This research work examined the effect of jute fibre on the shear strength of concrete. Fibre volume fractions of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75% for grades 25, 30, 35 and 40 N/mm2 respectively were used. A total of 32 beams and 96 cubes were prepared. 16 beams and 48 cubes were cured at room temperature for 28 days, while the other 16 beams and 48 cubes were cured for 28 days and kept for a period of 6 months to be observed for durability with respect to strength after testing. All the beams were tested under three-point loading system with a shear span, av = 2.5d. The results of the compressive strength showed that concrete made with 0.5% jute fibre for 28 days and 6 months gave percentage increase in compressive strength by 12%, 12.5%, 9.7% and 10.1% for grades 25, 30, 35 and 40 N/mm2 respectively compared to the control samples. Percentage increase in shear strength were by 24.5%, 16.1%, 27.9% and 16.5% for concrete grades 25, 30, 35 and 40 N/mm2 respectively compared to the control samples. The addition of the fibre to the concrete slightly reduced the workability of the concrete and increased the crack resistance of concrete.

Natural plant based fibres are being increasingly used in sustainable fibre reinforced composite applications in order to meet the demand of using environmentally friendly materials for composites. Fibre metal laminates (FMLs) are used in aerospace, automobile, marine and civil engineering applications, due to their excellent mechanical behaviors compared to traditional metals and their alloys. This study describes a novel fabrication of jute fibre reinforced aluminum metal laminates, using different jute fibre architectures (plain and twill fabric structures), wherein jute fibres were used in the skins and aluminum in the core layers. Jute fibres and aluminum sheets were chemically treated to enhance the compatibility and interfacial bonding at fibre-metals-matrix interfaces. FMLs were manufactured by hot pressing technique, after the application of wet lay-up process for the resin impregnation and they were further tested under tensile, flexural and impact loading conditions. While comparing results, the twill architecture showed improved tensile and flexural properties compared to plain fabric based FMLs. Chemical treatments on twill jute fibres and metal sheets further exceptionally enhanced the flexural properties (151 MPa flexural strength and 21.3 GPa modulus and they were increased by 186.5 % and 722.7 % respectively compared to the untreated jute fibre counterparts) of the laminates due to a significant improvement in the adhesion between the jute fibre and aluminum sheet after alkali treatment applied. Therefore, with these enhanced properties, jute based FML laminates can be used as sustainable composite materials in many structural applications.

Natural fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites are gaining increasing attention as engineering materials for advanced applications, including high performance ballistic armor components. This requires superior mechanical properties, such as toughness. Jute fiber reinforced composites are currently being explored as possible advanced engineering materials. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the mechanical characteristics of epoxy composites reinforced with jute fibers and steel fillers. In the present study, three types of the composite of two-way jute carpet and steel fillers were reinforced with epoxy, with different rates of each material.

The current work aims to evaluate the properties of unsaturated polyester laminates reinforced with discontinuous randomly oriented chopped jute fibre matrix filled with microsized (57.8 μm) eggshell filler. Laminates with two and three layers of jute fibres were prepared by hand lay‐up process. The mechanical properties like tensile strength, impact strength and flexural strength were enhanced from 20.16 to 25.8 MPa, 1.42 to 3.98 KJ/m2 and 35.54 to 57.84 MPa, respectively, when the eggshell filler (surface area: 72.64 m2/g, pore volume: 0.297 cc/g) content was increased from 0% to 2.5% in the matrix for the three‐layered laminate. The increase in filler content to 5% enhanced the hardness from 21.95 to 90.35 Rockwell L‐scale (two‐layered laminate); however, there was a declination of the other mechanical properties at a high filler content. The microsized filler has significantly decreased the voids and improvised the homogeneity, microstructure, crystallinity and contact angle (from 70.98 [unfilled] to 74.72 [filled]) of the produced filled laminates, as substantiated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray difffraction (XRD) and contact angle measurements. Thus, the fabricated laminates can be efficiently utilised as an eco‐friendly, high‐strength, low‐cost, light material for fabricating automobile dashboards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work utilises clam shell, a marine waste as filler material in a natural fibre composite.Different contents of clam shell filler of 0, 5 and 10 wt.% are considered for preparing the composite by the hand lay-up technique. The addition clamshell filler in the composite improves the tensile strength and tensile modulus by 51.40 and 63.47 % from 0 to 5 wt.% of clam shell filler, respectively. Similarly, flexural strength, flexural modulus and inter laminar shear strength of the composites show the maximum value at 5 wt.% filler addition. Beyond this value, the mechanical strength is reduced. Hardness values of the composites are increased with the increase in inclusion of the clam shell filler. In contrast, the addition of filler reduces the impact strength of the composites. Again, to determine the viscoelastic behaviour of the jute epoxy composite with the clam shell filler, dynamic mechanical analysis is performed. Storage modulus and loss modulus are found to be increasing with the increase in wt.% of filler. For all composites, the damping factor improves with the increase in temperature and obtained the highest height in the transition region. It is low below the glass transition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall has become a main trigger of slope failure for embankments in most coastal areas. The common slope stability analysis is incapable of accurately forecasting slides where suction pressures play a critical role. This realization is used for elaborate stability analyses, which include mesh and suction to better predict rainfall-induced slides at effective slopes. Jute fibre is one of the reinforced materials which is utilized to improve soil strength. Accordingly, the present study explores to study the effects of slope inclination on soil stability and the collected soil samples using jute fibre in artificial rainfalls. Therefore, this article presented various assessments for soil sample testing. Different tests like sieve analysis, permeability test, direct shear test (DST), liquid limit, plasticity limit, and numerical modelling were conducted in the laboratory. Geo-studio 2021 is the software utilized for numerical and experimental modelling. The findings of the research revealed that the failure is caused by a soil suction loss when the inclination of the slope is higher than the soil friction angle. Subsequently, when the inclination of the slope is lower than the soil's friction angle, the collapse is caused at the slope's toe due to the improvement of the positive water pressure. Furthermore, when the slope angle increases, slopes are becoming increasingly vulnerable to rapid collapse under rainfall. Consequently, the article studies the jute fibre which is combined with soil to improve its soil performance while using two rows, three rows, and four rows of jute. This estimation results that the jute fibre performs better than the without using jute fibre under different rainfall conditions. According to the findings, the random distribution of jute fibres had a favourable influence on both strength measurements and safety aspects. Utilizing the factor of safety and matric suction, the performance of jute fibre is superior to those without using jute fibres. Consequently, the proposed work improves the stabilization of soil, and factor of safety with jute fibre in rainfall conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the effect of UV light on the mechanical properties of jute polymer nanocomposites was evaluated. Due to the fact that photodegradation is a surface process and is confined to the degradation of the mechanical characteristics of polyester resin, this study focuses on the resin quality. Therefore, test samples comprised of fibre-reinforced polyester nanoclay composites were fabricated different weight ratios of nanoclay. They were put through UV exposure in an Ultraviolet (UV) chamber. Tensile testing samples were made in accordance with ASTMD638 and had a minimum thickness of 3 mm. Additionally, specimens for Flexural and Impact testing were also produced. Samples were treated at various time intervals under UV radiation and their mechanical properties were determined. The effect of nano additives in preventing the deterioration of polyester's mechanical qualities was also investigated, and it was found that the addition of clay to polyester resin reduces the deterioration level by 19.86%, 9.38%, and 13.53% when compared to pure polyester resin's tensile, flexural, and impact properties, respectively. The results demonstrated that samples containing nano additives were less susceptible to UV damage than that of the samples without nanoclay. This is because of the fact that when clay was added to the polymer, its platelets totally exfoliated and acted as barriers against the entry of UV radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of petroleum-based plastics has led to serious environmental problems worldwide. A viable alternative is to replace these polymers with those that are biodegradable. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer with properties that are similar to petroleum-based polymers. However, it has some drawbacks such as brittleness, poor impact strength, low heat distortion, and poor difficulties in thermal stability during processing. In this study, we describe the use of modified jute fibres to reinforce the PLA polymer matrix in order to improve its adhesion. Biocomposites of PLA and cut jute fibres (CJF) were prepared by extrusion. The CJF were modified using three different physical and chemical pretreatments (alkaline, maleic anhydride functionalization, and gamma irradiation). The results showed improvement in the mechanical, thermal, structural, and morphological properties of PLA biocomposites with 10% wt. CJF that were subjected to gamma irradiation at 50 kGy. The biocomposites developed could be used for rigid food packaging and are a good alternative for reducing domestic dependence on petroleum-based thermoplastics.

Growing environmental concerns and high material costs are becoming significant challenges for the large-scale application of high-performance Sheet Moulding Compounds (SMCs) in the automotive industry. The hybridization of carbon with natural fibres is one effective way to address these challenges while retaining the useful properties of both. In the current study the effect of hybridization configuration and ratio on the mechanical and damping performance of carbon-jute fibre hybrid SMCs has been investigated. The results show that hybrids with carbon core layers have a 4% higher tensile modulus and 14% higher strength than similar hybrids with jute core layers. This configuration also showed a 49% improvement in damping performance due to the higher energy dissipating capability of the surface jute fibre layers respectively. On the other hand, higher flexural modulus (38%) and strength (75%) properties were obtained when the stiffer and stronger carbon layers were used as external skin layers for the same hybrid contents. The effect of hybridization ratio on was studied by varying the thickness of the external carbon layers in the hybrids, where increasing tensile and bending properties were observed for increasing carbon content in the hybrids, while no significant reduction in damping performance was seen. Finally, the Cost-Performance Ratios (CPRs) have been used to evaluate the hybrids against their carbon and jute benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Findings from the laboratory model testing using a circular footing are presented to evaluate the geocell reinforced expansive soil testbed performance improvement due to the fibre addition. The subgrade tetbed was prepared with the black cotton soil occurring naturally. Chevron pattern geocells, fabricated from polypropylene geotextile, and jute fibres were used to reinforce the testbed. The effects of fibre length and content were evaluated by measuring the footing load and settlement of the fill surface. Unlike prior studies, the reinforced bed's performance is assessed at a settlement comparable to the unreinforced testbed's failure settlement. Two non-dimensional numbers, the bearing capacity improvement factor (If), and the settlement reduction factor (PRS%), were used to investigate the reinforced bed performance. The model testing results indicate that by using jute fibre as reinforcement along with geocell, the testbed performance improved further. Longer fibres contribute more to performance enhancement than shorter ones. With jute fibres of optimum parameters, the testbed bearing capacity increased by 2.93 times and a reduction of 91% in footing settlement has been obtained compared to an unreinforced testbed. Since jute is agricultural waste, therefore, the study at hand provides a cost-effective solution for the stabilization of problematic soils such as black cotton soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to develop environment friendly packaging and life style materials for replacing conventionally explored hazardous synthetic materials. The study carried out by using raw jute fibre reinforced thermoplastic corn starch (TPCS) is to develop biodegradable flexible composite materials. Flexible composites are prepared by maintaining with different fibre content (30 %, 40 % and 50 wt%). A thin coating of polyurethane based formulation is applied on one side of the developed composite to make it water resistant. Composite samples are examined in terms of their tensile properties, tear resistance, folding endurance, water absorbency, capillary action etc. The results show that flexible composites, having 50 % fibre content have tensile strength of 12.8 MPa and 12 MPa at cross and machine direction respectively compared to 3.1 MPa for the TPCS film. The Water drop test on the coated side of the developed material concluded that there is no water penetration even after 60 min of wetting. The interaction between two hydrophilic components is established with FTIR analysis. The XRD analysis was carried out to find the crystallinity of TPCS, Jute fibre and composite samples. Surface morphology and fibre/matrix interaction is observed by SEM. The detail chemical mechanism involved of fibre matrix interaction also been postulated. The scientific finding shows that the developed flexible material can be suitable for making packaging and life style items. • Preparation process of flexible composite using needle punched jute fibre non-woven and thermoplastic corn starch • A polyurethane coating was applied to one side of the composites for improving water resistance. • These flexible composites show promise for lifestyle products like carry bags and folders. • The developed composite samples are biodegradable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present experimental study tries to examine the impact of ferrochrome slag usage as a substitution of coarse aggregates and jute fibre (JF) on different characteristics of concrete. For this, 12 numbers of concrete mixes have been fabricated by introducing 0%, 50% and 100% ferrochrome slag aggregates (FSA) in place of natural coarse aggregates (NCA) and adding 0%, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% JF in concrete. The workability, 7, 28, and 90 days compressive strength (CS), flexural strength (FS), split tensile strength (STS), ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), rebound number (RN), water absorption (WA), volume of voids (VV), density of designated mixes, have been studied to access the effect of incorporation of FSA and JF in concrete. The experimental outcome analysis depicts the concrete mix having 50%–100% FSA and 0.1% JF has strength, physical and non-destructive parameters similar to those of normal concrete. Furthermore, 50%–100% FSA usage has been recommended as a substitution of coarse aggregates because the incorporation of FSA has no substantial impact on various concrete properties. It is also detected that 0.1% JF could be introduced in concrete without significant degradation of concrete behaviour since, beyond this level, the properties of concrete are adversely affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study to analyze the effects of the stacking sequence of kenaf and jute fibers on the tensile and flexural properties of the kenaf/jute hybrid composites. Kenaf/jute/kenaf (K/J/K), jute/kenaf/jute (J/K/J) and neat epoxy (EP) composites were prepared using the hand lay-up technique while maintaining total fiber loading of 30 wt%. Mechanical properties were analyzed by using Instron Universal Testing machines. The obtained results showed that the K/J/K hybrid composites exhibited the highest tensile strength (43.21 MPa) and flexural strength (75.57 MPa) as compared with J/K/J hybrid composites. K/J/K hybrid composites also display better tensile and flexural modulus of 3.60 GPa and 4.63 GPa, respectively, as compared to J/K/J hybrid and neat epoxy composites. The morphological properties of tensile and flexural fracture samples of the hybrid composites were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It’s clear from SEM that fiber pull-out, and matrix cracks occurs in all composites, but K/J/K hybrid composites display better fiber/matrix interfacial bonding. We concluded from this work that layering sequence plays an important role in the mechanical performance of hybrid composites and attributed that fabricated hybrid composites can be used in engineering application such as interiors for aircrafts and automotive.

Presence of fibers and fillers in a composite can be an efficient way to arrest crack either at macro or micro levels. In this work, woven jute and carbon fibers were arranged alternately in PLA (Polylactic Acid) nanocomposite. Graphene or nanoclay was embedded into PLA matrix to make polymer nanocomposite. Fiber reinforced polymer nanocomposites were prepared by varying the concentration of graphene or nanoclay in the PLA matrix and alternate woven jute/carbon fibers was then bind with the PLA nanocomposite. Influence of graphene or nanoclay concentration and presence of woven fibres in the composite was quantified by flexural analysis. Flexural strength and flexural modulus were found to increase at 3wt% of nanofiller concentration for both graphene/jute/PLA and nanoclay/jute/PLA nanocomposites with increment up to 37% and 31%, respectively. FTIR was used to determine the interaction between PLA and nanofillers. Morphology observation by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was done to investigate the fractured surface of the hybrid jute/carbon fibres reinforced PLA nanocomposite.

Jute, a lignocellulosic bast fibre, is mainly utilized for making packaging materials. Whereas, banana fibres are extracted from the sheath of the banana trunk which is underutilized and used for making ropes for domestic purposes. Jute and banana fibres, both grey as well as bleached, have been blended in different proportions like 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 to produce 8lb yarn. The tenacity of jute/banana blended yarn produced from bleached fibres is much higher than that produced from grey fibres irrespective of blend ratio. Union fabrics have been produced using cotton yarns as warp and jute/banana blended yarn as weft.

The development of the natural fibre-based efficient microwave absorbing composite that provides good tensile properties in addition to electromagnetic properties is still a challenging task. In this work, experimental studies are performed to develop iron-reinforced jute fibre-based novel hybrid microwave absorbing composites. The main objective of this experimental study is to achieve better absorption and wide absorption bandwidth with the acceptable tensile property. Therefore, four samples have been fabricated and tested with constant jute fibre content and distinct iron contents. The electromagnetic parameters (εr and μr) have been measured using the waveguide-based microwave measurement technique. An optimal sample is found to possess good microwave absorption properties at X-band. Further, the fabricated composite is subjected to the tensile test and it has been found to possess an average Young's modulus value of 9.4 GPa, final failure strain value of 0.08, and an average ultimate tensile strength value of 49 MPa. Scanning electron microscope analysis was used for the tensile tested specimen to predict the internal failure behavior and determine the major modes of failure such as fiber breakage, matrix cracking, and delamination failure. The obtained results reflect the potential of fabricated composite for various strategic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating natural fibre as reinforcement in the polymer matrix has shown a negative effect since the natural fibre is hydrophilic. The natural fibre easily absorbs water which causes an effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. The objective of this paper is to investigate the water absorption behaviour of hybrid jute-roselle woven fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester composite and the effect of water absorption in terms of tensile strength and tensile modulus. The effect of hybrid composite on the thickness swelling will be tested. The fabrication method used in this study is the hand lay-up technique to fabricate 2-layer and 3-layer composites with layering sequences of woven jute (J)/roselle (Ro) fibre. The results of the study showed that pure roselle fibres for 2 and 3-layer composites have the highest water absorption behaviour 3.86% and 5.51%, respectively, in 28 days) as well as thickness swelling effect, whereas hybrid J-Ro and J-J-Ro composites showed the least water absorption (2.65% and 3.76%, respectively) in 28 days) in both the tests. The hybridisation between jute and roselle fibres reduced water absorption behaviour and improved the fibres dimensional stability. The entire composites showed a decreasing trend for both tensile strength and tensile modulus strength after five weeks of water immersion. Jute fibre composite hybridised with roselle fibre can be used to reduce the total reduction of both tensile strength and tensile modulus throughout the whole immersion period. Moreover, the tensile testing showed that jute fibre composite hybridised with roselle fibre have produced the strongest composite with the highest tensile and modulus strength compared to other types of composites. The hybridisation of diverse fibre reinforcements aids in minimising the composite water absorption and thickness swelling, hence reducing the effect of tensile characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of petroleum-based plastics has led to serious environmental problems worldwide. A viable alternative is to replace these polymers with those that are biodegradable. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer with properties that are similar to petroleum-based polymers. However, it has some drawbacks such as brittleness, poor impact strength, low heat distortion, and poor difficulties in thermal stability during processing. In this study, we describe the use of modified jute fibres to reinforce the PLA polymer matrix in order to improve its adhesion. Biocomposites of PLA and cut jute fibres (CJF) were prepared by extrusion. The CJF were modified using three different physical and chemical pretreatments (alkaline, maleic anhydride functionalization, and gamma irradiation). The results showed improvement in the mechanical, thermal, structural, and morphological properties of PLA biocomposites with 10% wt. CJF that were subjected to gamma irradiation at 50 kGy. The biocomposites developed could be used for rigid food packaging and are a good alternative for reducing domestic dependence on petroleum-based thermoplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel Sterculia foetida fruit shell fibres were extracted by following a traditional method of water retting. The fibres were found to be lignocellulosic, comprising around 14.28 ± 0.2% of lignin in it. Its α-cellulose and hemicellulose contents were measured to be 45.44 ± 0.2% and 27.27 ± 0.2%, respectively, which are in a favorable range of textile fibres. The novel fibre exhibits good tensile strength and low extensibility, which can be used for making ropes, yarns, sacs, textile fabrics, composite materials, etc. Resin-based fibre reinforced composites were prepared with the fibres as reinforcement and compared with conventional jute fibre reinforced composites. It was observed that Sterculia foetida fruit shell fibre-based composites showed breaking stress, breaking elongation, and E-Modulus 16.912 MPa, 2.767% and 1011.67 MPa, respectively, which are comparable with the jute fibre-based composites (19.38 MPa, 2.23%, and 1017.33 MPa, respectively).

Earthen construction materials are the subject of renewed interest due to the rising alarm about environmental pollution from the construction industry. Current research efforts are focused on improving the mechanical properties of earthen materials to make them modern and competitive. To increase strength and improve ductility fibres can be added to the soil mixture and if natural fibres are used one achieves stabilisation in an environmentally friendly way. Several previous studies have dealt with the behaviour of this composite material at a macroscopic level and on the general interaction between fibres and soil, but there is little published research on the interfacial mechanical interaction between natural fibre reinforcement and a soil matrix which is key to the former. This paper attempts to fill this gap by presenting and discussing laboratory results from a large campaign of pull-out tests conducted on composite earthen samples. The variables investigated here are the nature of the fibres (i.e. single or collections twisted together) and the use of fibre treatments such as PVA glue and baking soda. In the study both fibre–soil failure and soil-soil failure are investigated and the results lead to conclusions as to appropriate use of fibres to reinforce earthen construction materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study to analyze the effects of the stacking sequence of kenaf and jute fibers on the tensile and flexural properties of the kenaf/jute hybrid composites. Kenaf/jute/kenaf (K/J/K), jute/kenaf/jute (J/K/J) and neat epoxy (EP) composites were prepared using the hand lay-up technique while maintaining total fiber loading of 30 wt%. Mechanical properties were analyzed by using Instron Universal Testing machines. The obtained results showed that the K/J/K hybrid composites exhibited the highest tensile strength (43.21 MPa) and flexural strength (75.57 MPa) as compared with J/K/J hybrid composites. K/J/K hybrid composites also display better tensile and flexural modulus of 3.60 GPa and 4.63 GPa, respectively, as compared to J/K/J hybrid and neat epoxy composites. The morphological properties of tensile and flexural fracture samples of the hybrid composites were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It's clear from SEM that fiber pull-out, and matrix cracks occurs in all composites, but K/J/K hybrid composites display better fiber/matrix interfacial bonding. We concluded from this work that layering sequence plays an important role in the mechanical performance of hybrid composites and attributed that fabricated hybrid composites can be used in engineering application such as interiors for aircrafts and automotive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative eco-friendly method of bleaching of jute fibre and yarn has been developed using peracetic acid as bleaching agent and it is found that the treatment produces satisfactory whiteness with minimum loss in tensile properties. Comparative study on bleaching of jute using these two bleaching agents (hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid) clearly demonstrates that hydrogen peroxide bleaching produces 5-8 grades higher whiteness in HUNTER Scale but peracetic acid bleached fibre and yarn show better retention of tensile strength after bleaching. Partial bleaching of jute has also been carried out using 25%, 50% and 75% (normal dose) of both bleaching agents separately and their whiteness indexes as well as tensile strength are evaluated. In both the bleaching processes, whiteness increases with increase in concentration of bleaching agents and tensile strength retention decreases. It is also clear that for any particular percentage of bleaching agent, whiteness index is more in peroxide bleached sample, while tensile strength is more in case of peracetic acid bleached samples. Hence, hybrid bleaching has been carried out using both the bleaching agents (peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide) by two-step bleaching process so that the synergistic effect can produce higher whiteness with high retention of tenacity. Moreover, the sequence of bleaching, i.e. peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide or vice versa has also been studied in detail. It has been found that the hybrid bleaching of jute using peracetic acid followed by hydrogen peroxide produces better whiteness with high retention of tensile strength. The hybrid bleaching of jute using 75% peracetic acid followed by 25% hydrogen peroxide produces the best result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An attempt was made to prepare new composite materials using jute fibre with the combination of three synthetic resins namely general purpose resin, vinyl ester and isophthalic polyester and cardanol. It is well-known that polymeric materials have low thermal conductivity (0.1–0.5 W/m K). The polymer composites have several advantages compared to conventionally used metals, such as low density, good corrosion resistance and low processing costs. The effect of variation of each parameter such as cardanol concentration (%), synthetic resin and number of layers were studied and a regression equation was developed to identify the best composite material which gives optimum thermal properties. Test results of thermal conductivity for the prepared composite materials are in the range of 0.125–0.161 W/m K [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fibre-reinforced composites have attracted a great deal of attention by the automotive industry mainly due to their sustainable characteristics and low cost. The use of sustainable composites is expected to continuously increase in this area as the cost and weight of vehicles could be partially reduced by replacing glass fibre composites and aluminium with natural fibre composites. Adhesive bonding is the preferred joining method for composites and is increasingly used in the automotive industry. However, the literature on natural fibre reinforced polymer composite adhesive joints is scarce and needs further investigation. The main objective of this study was to investigate experimentally adhesively bonded joints made of natural, synthetic and interlaminar hybrid fibre-reinforced polymer composites. The effect of the number of the interlaminar synthetic layers required in order to match the bonded joint efficiency of a fully synthetic GFRP bonded joint was studied. It was found that the failure load of the hybrid jute/glass adherend joints increased by increasing the number of external synthetic layers (i.e. the failure load of hybrid 3-layer joint increased by 28.6% compared to hybrid 2-layer joint) and reached the pure synthetic adherends joints efficiency due to the optimum compromise between the adherend material property (i.e. stiffness and strength) and a diminished bondline peel stress state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]