Abstract
Composite materials have become a necessity in recent times due to their attractive properties. The use of natural fibers is also having enough potential in the formation of feasible composites. The use of such composites in structural application as a low cost material has created a new horizon for investigation. Jute is a stiff fiber and its application in the packaging industry as a load-bearing fiber is quite common. The structure of jute is porous and it has a tendency to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which results in its deterioration at the interface. The theoretical model for prediction of strength for such composites having porous reinforcement is developed in the present work, by considering a hexagonal fiber packing. The area occupied by voids is considered as a region of ineffectiveness for load transfer to the fibers through the matrix. The region of interphase between fiber and matrix is introduced to represent impurities in the composite. The interphase volume and property are evaluated using a modified rule of mixture (ROM). The results are also compared with FEM results obtained using licensed package ANSYS and IDEAS, with interphase properties obtained from a theoretical model. The experiments are carried out for jute— polyester composite with variation in volume fraction from 4 to 36%. The specimens are prepared at a constant pressure of 3.43 104 N/m2 by the compression molding method and special care is taken to maintain a long continuous aligned reinforcement. The strengths of the specimen are measured as per ASTM D 3039-76. The results obtained by experiments are observed to be between 0.307 and 2.41% with the theoretical model and simulated FEM results, while it is deviating 25.87% with ROM.
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