Effect of chemical treatment on erosion properties of jute polyester composites

The present work investigated the erosion behavior of chemically treated jute fiber reinforced polyester composite. Three different composites (Composite untreated jute fiber, NaOH treated jute fiber and NaOH & Silane treated jute fiber) were fabricated using compression moulding process. The composites were reinforced with 40wt% jute fiber. Composite physical properties like Density, Void fraction and Hardness were studied. Solid particle erosion experiment was conducted on the composites as per ASTM G-76 standard by varying erodent velocity and impact angle. For all the composites void fraction was less than 5% and untreated composites showed increased void fraction. Improvement in the interfacial property was noted on the treated fiber composites. The hardness of the composites was increased on chemical treatment. The erosion experiment result proved the increase in erosion resistance property in the treated fiber composites. Compared to untreated and NaOH treated composites erosion loss is less which proves the effectiveness of fiber treatment.