Effect of Pre- and Post-processing Thermal Treatments on Mechanical Behavior of Jute-Textile Reinforced Polymer Composites

A new experimental study has been conducted to investigate the mechanical behavior of jute-textile reinforced epoxy composites subjected to pre- and post-processing thermal treatments. The performance of three different composite samples, namely untreated composite, composites subjected to pre-processing thermomechanical treatment, and that subjected to both pre-processing and post-processing treatments is analyzed in a comparative fashion. Composite samples are subjected to hot compaction during processing, and the final samples are thermally treated for two hours at eleven different temperatures ranging from 0 to 250 °C. The performance is evaluated in terms of their hardness, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, percentage of elongation, water absorption as well as their thermal degradation as a function of aging temperature. The present research reveals that the mechanical properties of biodegradable jute-textile reinforced polymer composites can be optimized to a great extent through hot compaction and post-thermal treatments.