Improving the Mechanical Properties of Jute Fiber Mat Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using Coir Micro-Fillers

The study investigates the effect of coir micro-filler on improving the mechanical properties of jute fiber mat-reinforced epoxy composite. Four-layer jute fiber mat-reinforced epoxy composites with different filler concentration (0-6 wt.%) were prepared and investigated for tensile and flexural properties. The findings demonstrated that the coir filler is more effective in improving the tensile behavior of the jute fiber mat reinforced epoxy composites. The tensile properties were consistently improved by the addition of coir fillers (CP) with the peak strength of 59.09 MPa at 0.5 % loading, which was 20 % greater than that of the base composite. The flexural properties did not show significant improvement, rather remained unaffected up to a CP filler content of 1 %. These results suggest that the CP-filled jute fiber mat reinforced epoxy composite can be a sustainable path to lightweight and mechanically strong composite with reduced epoxy concentration that may be used in various structural applications.