Studying the effect of reinforcement parameters on the mechanical properties of natural fibre-woven composites by Taguchi method

Process optimization is the key task of any engineering application to maximize the desirable output by optimizing the range of process parameters. In this research work, jute composites were fabricated by the hand lay-up method with the aim of optimizing the process parameter such as yarn linear density, fabric areal density and fabric laying angle on the mechanical properties of the textile composite structures using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal matrix. The plain-woven and twill-woven fabrics of Jute fabrics were produced through specialized handloom machine and used as preform for composite production. Epoxy resin was used as the matrix component. Signal-to-noise ratio ratio, analysis of variance and experimental verification of results were analysed. The results showed that fabric laying angle played major role to achieve high mechanical properties of composites and twill-woven structural reinforcement yields higher mechanical properties. Subsequent to this optimal process, parameters have been arrived for all the composites, and finally it was verified through the experimental results.