A study on mechanical, thermal and environmental degradation characteristics of N,N-dimethylaniline treated jute fabric-reinforced polypropylene composites

The mechanical and thermal behavior of compression molded jute/polypropylene (PP) composites were studied by evaluating tensile strength (TS), bending strength (BS), tensile modulus (TM), bending modulus (BM), impact strength (IS), thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). A chemical modification was made to jute fabrics using N,N-Dimethylaniline (DMA) in order to improve the interfacial adhesion between the fabrics and matrix. It was found that jute fabrics on treatment with N,N-Dimethylaniline (DMA) significantly improved the mechanical properties of the composites. Thermal analytical data of PP, both treated and untreated jute fabrics as well as composites revealed that DMA treatment increased the thermal stability of the fabrics and composite. DMA treatment also reduced the hydrophilic nature of the composite. DMA treated jute composite was found less degradable than control composite under water, soil and simulated weathering conditions.