Mechanical performance of short jute fibre reinforced polypropylene

The effects of different short jute fiber content and the interfacial adhesion on the mechanical properties of jute /polypropylene injection molded composites were investigated. The composites were prepared by injection molding the mixtures of five different wt.% of short jute fibers and Fortilene 1602 polypropylene. Tensile strength improved with increasing fiber content in composites prepared by adding a coupling agent. However, the elastic modulus increased sharply with fiber content irrespective of coupling agent addition. Cost-effective but value-added jute fiber/polypropylene composites with improved mechanical performance can be obtained by injection molding and adding coupling agent.