Abstract
A series of composites was fabricated by impregnating jute nonwoven fabric in a bath of acrylonitrile-butadiene (NBR) latex. Thermogravimetric analysis of the jute, NBR and their composites were performed in order to establish the thermal stability and mode of thermal degradation. Thermal degradation of the jute fabric and composites was found to proceed in two steps, unlike NBR. All the composites were stable to 280°C. A degradation kinetic parameter was obtained for each stage of degradation of the jute, NBR and their composites, using Broido, Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger methods.
The activation energy (Ea) of the composites for the thermal degradation process lay in the range 39-129, 35-130 and 20-142 kJ/mol for the Broido, Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger method respectively. Cryogenically fractured specimens were used to analyse the surface morphology of the jute fabric and composites by scanning electron microscopy.