The effect of alkali treatment on the jute fabrics and its influence on jute composites properties has been studied. The plain woven jute fabrics were manufactured using handloom. The alkali treatment was optimized using Box and Benkhen experimental design using time, temperature and concentration as independent variables and water absorbency, weight loss percentage as dependent variables. The fabric treated with optimized condition of 5% NaOH for 4 h at 30°C was made into a composite of [0°] 4 lay-up sequence by means of compression moulding technique using vinyl ester resin. The composites were characterized for various mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact strength. It is observed from the results that the alkali-treated samples show increased mechanical properties of the composites which may be due to the better adhesion between the fabric and the resin because of the removal of lignin and hemicellulose.
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