Thermo-mechanical, Degradation, and Interfacial Properties of Jute Fiber-reinforced PET-based Composite

Jute fiber-reinforced polyethylene terephthalate (PET) matrix composite was prepared by compression molding. Tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM), elongation at break (Eb%), bending strength (BS), bending modulus (BM), impact strength (IS), and hardness of the composites (50% fiber by weight) were found to be 56 MPa, 1950 MPa, 5%, 73 MPa, 3620 MPa, 24 kJ/m(2), and 97 Shore-A, respectively. After 6 weeks of soil degradation, composites lost 28.5% and 24.6% of their original TS and BS, respectively. Interfacial characterization was performed by scanning electron microscope.