Effect of Rate of Loading on Jute Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composite

The environmental consciousness and consumer pressure have forced manufacturing industries to use natural fibres as a substitute for conventional non-renewable reinforcing materials. In the present investigation, the effect of rate of loading on jute fibre-reinforced polymer composite was studied. The mechanical properties (in three-point bend test) like interlaminar shear strength, yield strength and energy at break were examined as a function of strain rate. It was observed that the untreated fibre-reinforced composites were not very sensitive to the rate of loading; however, loading rate sensitivity was observed in alkali-treated fibre-reinforced composites. It has been proposed that fibre pull-out dominates over mechanism of composite failure in alkali-treated condition, and the interlaminar shear strength/yield strength was increased due to the increase in stiffness of the composite with rate of loading (in initial stage); however, at higher strain rate, matrix became susceptible to brittleness as there was lesser time available for crack-blunting to take place. All the microstructures were generated using a scanning electron microscope, and mechanical testing was done using tensile testing machine Instron 1195.