Design and development of jute-cotton reinforced polymer composite for rural poultry housing

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study on the thermal and mechanical properties of jute polyester composites. Jute polyester composites were fabricated with different thickness by reinforcing jute-cotton blended fabrics. The thermal conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis and water absorption test were conducted to evaluate their performance. MEKPO (methyl ethyl ketone per oxide) wt. %, nano-cellulose wt % and polyester resin (%) were optimized for the performance of jute polyester composites to be suitable for rural poultry housing. The best weight proportion of MEKPO (methyl ethyl ketone peroxide), nano-cellulose and composite thickness were found 1.5 wt.%, 6 wt.% and 3 mm respectively. It was revealed that composite fabricated with 60/40 jute/cotton blended fabrics exhibited the best performance in composite fabrication having thickness of 3 mm.