Mechanical and Rheological Characterization of Treated Jute-HDPE Composites with a Different Morphology

The present article summarizes an experimental study on the mechanical and rheological behavior of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/jute composites. HDPE with short jute fibers of 6 mm length are melt-mixed employing Haake torque rheocord followed by compression molding. Various types of chemical treatments such as mercerization, cyanoethylation, coupling agent treatment, etc. are performed to improve interfacial adhesion between the fibers and HDPE matrix. Variations in fiber loading, surface treatment, coupling agent concentration, and treatment time period as a function of mechanical strength are studied. Mechanical tests show that composites treated with 1% maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (MAPE) exhibit an increase of 47.3, 26.4, and 28.1% in tensile, flexural, and impact strengths, respectively. The melt viscosity and die swell ratio of the composites with an increase in shear rate, fiber loading, and coupling agent concentration are also investigated using a capillary rheometer. Further, the dynamic viscoelastic behavior of the composites is measured by employing a parallel plate rheometer. Time-temperature superposition is applied to generate various viscoelastic master curves. The treated composites display an increase in storage modulus and complex viscosity indicating improved interfacial adhesion. The fiber-matrix morphology of the extrudates is also examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM).