Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Polymer-Coated Jute Fibers for Enhanced Automotive Parts

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Automobile parts often require materials that offer high strength and durability. With the continuous push for environmentally friendly solutions, natural fibers such as jute have emerged as a potential alternative for synthetic fibers in automobile components. In this study, we aim to enhance the properties of jute fibers by coating them with different polymers and assessing their suitability for automotive applications. We treated jute fibers with various polymers—low-density polyethylene, polyester, and araldite epoxy. The performance of these treated fibers was compared using fiber tensile experimentation, differential calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical evaluation. Our findings reveal that the treated jute fibers exhibit a tensile strength of 598 MPa. However, when coated with polymers, there’s a variance in strength: polyethylene (263 MPa), polyester (191 MPa), and epoxy (281 MPa). Among these, epoxy-coated fibers displayed the least tensile strength, while polyethylene-coated jute fibers recorded the highest. A noteworthy observation is the lower dispersion value for the polyethylene-coated jute fiber, attributed to the penetration of polyethylene liquid into the jute fiber pores. In conclusion, modifying jute fibers using different polymers can enhance their mechanical properties, making them a viable option for automobile components.</div></div>