Textile composite can be defined as the
combination of a resin system with a textile fibre, yarn or fabric system.
Textile composites may be flexible or quite rigid. Examples of flexible textile
composites are tires, inflatable life rafts, and heavy duty conveyor belts,
wherein the textile component provides tensile strength and dimensional
stability, and wherein the rubber component provides a flexible impervious
matrix. Alone either component would fail in relation to required performance.
Together, as a team, the textile reinforced rubber system is quit successful
for flexible composite products.
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| Textile Composite |
Examples of inflexible or rigid textile
composites are found in a variety of products referred to as fibre reinforced
plastics system. Fibre reinforced plastic products emerged as accepted
alternative for metal and wood applications by the fifties.
In order to develop composites with better
mechanical properties and environmental performance, it is necessary to impart
hydrophobicity to the fibres by chemical reaction with suitable coupling agents
or by coating with appropriate resins. Such surface modification of jute fibre
would not only decrease moisture adsorption, but would also concomitantly
increase wettability of fibres with resin and improve the interfacial bond
strength, which are critical factors for obtaining better mechanical properties
of composites. The modification is required to improve the wettability and
compatibility of the fibre with resin matrix to produce strong fibre-matrix
interface.
Jute Fiber as reinforcement in composite:
Jute is an attractive natural fibre for use as
reinforcement in composite because of its low cost, renewable nature and much
lower energy requirement for processing. The scope for using jute fibres in
place of the traditional glass fibres in different forms partly or fully as
reinforcing agents incomposites stems from the higher specific modulus and
lower specific gravity of jute (~ 40 Pa and 1.29-1.48 respectively) compared
with those of glass(~ 30 GPa and 2.5 respectively). |
Jute Fiber Composites
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The use of jute fiber mats in combination with
polymer films potentially offers a rapid and simple means of manufacturing
composites through film stacking, heating and press-consolidation.
The major drawback of natural fibre reinforced
composites is due to its affinity for moisture. Many experimental studies have
shown that compatible coupling agents are capable of either slowing down or
preventing the de-bonding process and hence moisture absorption even under
severe environmental conditions, such as exposure to boiling water. Jute
fibres/fabrics can be modified chemically through graft co-polymerisation and
through incorporation of different resin systems by different approaches.
Natural fibre composites enjoy excellent
potential as wood substitutes in building industry in view of their low cost,
easy availability, saving in energy and pollution free production. In order to
improve upon the laboratory-industry linkages towards application development
& commercialisation, the Advanced Composites Mission launched the projects
on jute composites such as 'Jute-Coir Composites Boards’, 'Jute-glass composite
components for railway coaches’,' Thermoplastic composites based synthetic
wood’ and others.
Jute can be used as reinforcement in the
following three forms:
PARALLEL FIBRE STRAND:
Finisher card jute sliver or web can be used and
laying can be done manually in three different orientation, such as parallel
laid, cross laid and random laid etc.Different laying methods produce
composites with different characteristics / properties and can be used in
various application depending on the end-use requirement. |
| Reinforcement |
WOVEN OR KNITTED FABRIC:
Yarns can be made from jute and then it is woven
with specific structure either in knitting machines or in looms, this fabric
thus produced is used in layers as reinforcing material.
Various structural parameters of woven and
knitted fabrics affects not only the properties of fabric but also the
properties of composite made out of it also.
NONWOVEN FABRIC:
Jute can be processed in needle punched nonwoven
machine to produce fibre mat for its subsequent use in making composites.
Needling operation create a three dimensional distribution in the fibre
orientation. Needling density, depth of needle penetration, orientation of
fibre etc are found to have an immerse effect on the properties of composite
made there from.
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