Degradation Analysis of Jute Fiber Reinforced Waste Tile Powder-Filled Polymer Composite on Wear Characteristics

In this study, a polymer composite is made using chemically treated jute fiber and waste floor tile powder as an alternative source for roof tile application. The wear qualities were examined at various ages, and the outcomes were optimized. In order to improve the wetting properties of the jute fiber, it was chemically treated. MINITAB software was used to develop Taguchi method parameters such as jute fiber percentage, waste tile powder percentage, and NaOH chemical treatment using the MINITAB software. It was determined that hardness was the most important characteristic in terms of wear properties after the specimens were subjected to ageing and abrasion wear testing and hardness tests were carried out as per normal protocols. As a result of the waste tile powder addition, the surface and core pore formation rates were reduced and the wear index rates were low. Jute fiber with 15%, 9% tile powder, and 5% NaOH treatment were found to have the lowest wear index of the other specimen compositions tested, according to the wear index. Specimen made with 5% jute fiber addition, 9% tile powder inclusion, and 10% NaOH treatment, on the other hand, had more hardness. Degradation of the fibers and delamination are side effects of the ageing process. The wear resistance of the surface was increased by the use of waste tile powder.

Degradation of Polypropylene and Jute Fiber-Reinforced Composites Exposed to Natural and Accelerated Aging: Mechanical Properties and Wettability

Population growth and the way resources are being exploited are directly affecting the environment. The natural fiber market, for example, is worth billions of dollars and a huge amount of the fibers becomes waste. This considerable amount of waste motivates the study of the fibers as a reinforcement in polymeric matrix, which benefits both the environmental sustainability and technical-commercial development of new materials with good properties and reduced cost. In this study, jute fiber-reinforced composites previously manufactured from an industrial waste (W), polypropylene, compatibilizer, and nano-calcium carbonate (N), were exposed to natural and accelerated aging. The composites were tested by infrared spectroscopy, contact angle (CA) measurement, and tensile test. Infrared analysis showed greater oxidative degradation after accelerated aging. All CA values continued above 90° after natural aging. Among all compositions, the ones with the presence of N had the highest CA values, showing that N acted as a waterproofing agent. After accelerated aging, a significant decrease in all CA values was observed. The composites did not show significant variation in the elastic modulus after either aging. Deformation at break decreased significantly for compositions with no jute fiber in both aging programs. No remarkable reduction was observed in the compositions with jute fibers.

Tensile, Flexural, and Morphological Properties of Jute/Oil Palm Pressed Fruit Fibers Reinforced High Density Polyethylene Hybrid Composites

The incorporation of materials that were formally regarded as agricultural wastes into polymeric matrix has drawn the attention of many researchers in recent years. This research focused on reinforcing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix with treated jute fiber (JF)/oil palm pressed fruit fibers (OPPFF) at varying weight proportions. JF and OPPFF were cut to 2.5 mm length and were chemically treated thereafter with 1 M and 1.5 M sodium hydroxide solution respectively. The composites were produced using the compression molding technique. The morphological characterization of the fibers and composites for untreated and treated samples was studied with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Tensile and flexural properties of the produced composite samples were also determined. From the result, the surface morphology of the fiber after treatment showed that there was obvious exposure of the fiber surface and removal of impurities as this influenced the microstructure of the composites and in turn the tensile and flexural properties. Hence, it was observed that 20 wt.% treated jute fiber addition shows the most significant enhancements in terms of tensile and flexural properties. The study exposed the effect of surface modification of JF/OPPF hybridization on HDPE matrix composite.