Abstract
In this study, jute fabrics were used to reinforce epoxy resin to prepare laminated composites. KH-560 silane coupling agent modification was used to improve the interfacial compatibility between fibers and epoxy. The effects of different immersion times (0 min, 10 min, 30 min, 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min) on the jute fiber’s element content, crystal structure, and thermal stability, and the mechanical properties of laminated composites were studied. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) analysis showed that the KH-560 modification improved the crystallinity index (CI) and crystallite sizes (CS) of jute fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the tensile fracture surfaces revealed a thick epoxy on the modified pulled fiber surfaces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis identified the presence of silicon and C–O–Si/Si–O–Si cross-linked structures on the surface of modified jute fibers. These cross-linked structures improved the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the laminated composites. When the immersion time was 60 min, the CI, CS, tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the modified samples were 42.39%, 3.62 nm, 34.6 ± 1.1 MPa, 2.11 ± 0.12 GPa, 83.7 ± 1.8 MPa, and 4.08 ± 0.12 GPa, respectively, which were better than that of unmodified and other modified composites.
Highlights
Natural fiber reinforced laminated composites have broad application prospects in the fields of automobile manufacturing, building construction, and transportation due to their low cost, low environmental impact, and good mechanical properties [1,2]
The relative peaks occurred at 3336 cm−1 and 2938 cm−1, which became weaker after KH-560 treatment
The reason for this is that the -OH groups of cellulose were modified by KH-560 to form hydrogen bonds, which reduced the vibration of both C–H bonds and -OH groups because C–H bonds share a carbon with the modified
Summary
Natural fiber reinforced laminated composites have broad application prospects in the fields of automobile manufacturing, building construction, and transportation due to their low cost, low environmental impact, and good mechanical properties [1,2]. Laminated composites were prepared using hot pressing, manual layering, or vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding. Natural fibers, such as ramie, hemp [3], sisal [4,5], flax [6], and jute [7,8], have been used in the reinforcement of laminated composites. The hydrogen bond interactions between the molecular chains are strong, which is not conducive to the combination with the hydrophobic matrix and, degrade the mechanical properties of the composites [9,10,11,12]. The pretreatment methods include heat treatment, alkali treatment, acylation treatment, and silane coupling agent treatment [13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
