Abstract:
Natural fibers have been used as reinforcement in composite development over synthetic
fiber in the recent years due to the biodegradability, sustainability, availability, recyclability
and clean environment. This study examines the prospect of jute fiber using as
reinforcement in High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) composites. Three different fiber
weight fractions of 5%, 10% and 20% have been considered and termed as HDPEDJ-5,
HDPEDJ-10, and HDPEDJ-20, correspondingly. Jute fiber was chemically treated as a part
of the surface modification using 5% NaOH to adhere the bonding between reinforcement
and matrix. Injection molding technique has been employed to prepare the samples as per
the ASTM standards. The effect of the amount of fiber on composite performance was
investigated through tensile strength, impact strength and hardness. In mechanical
characterization, the HDPEDJ-10 sample provided better results by showing 25.5 MPa of
tensile strength and 3.15 kJ/m2 of impact strength, whereas HDPEDJ-5 sample exhibited
maximum Rockwell hardness of 90.9 RHB. It was observed from the data that the
mechanical properties of the material improved as the content of jute fiber increased, which
posits this eco-friendly composite as a potential candidate for industrial usage.
