Geometric Characterization of Three-Dimensional (3D) Woven Jute Fiber Preforms for Composites

Abstract

Fiber-reinforced composite materials have many advantages in various engineering applications when compared to traditional materials such as glass, metals, ceramics and unreinforced plastics. Recently, textile-reinforced composites are increasingly used in various industries including aerospace, construction and automotive. This study aims to investigate the geometric characteristics of three-dimensional (3D) woven preforms which are used as reinforcement materials in composites. To this end, 3D woven preforms with three different weave types were produced namely 3D orthogonal, 3D plain z-orthogonal and 3D satin z-orthogonal. The effect of weave pattern and the number of layers on the geometric characteristics of the produced fabrics was investigated. For this purpose, yarn-yarn distances and density, yarn lengths and yarn angles were measured. The effect of the number of layers on the geometric parameters was limited. Yarn-to-yarn distances in plain-weave fabrics were found to be greater when compared to other types of fabrics whereas the yarn density decreased in plain woven fabrics due to a large number of interlacements. This shows that in composite form, the fiber volume fraction in the filling and z-directions will be lower in the semi-interlaced fabrics when compared to the non-interlaced orthogonal structures. It was also shown that filling and warp angles are a function of weave type while z yarn angle is associated with the weaving operations such as beat-up, multi-layer filling insertion and warp yarn let off.

Keywords

• Geometric characterization
• Jute fiber
• Natural fiber composites
• Three dimensional (3D) woven preform

References

1. 1. Stig, F, Hallström, S. 2012. Spatial modelling of 3D-woven textiles. Composite Structures; 94(5): 1495–1502.
2. 2. Ko, F. 3-D textile reinforcements in composite materials. In: Miravete A (ed) 3-D textile reinforcements in composite materials. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, 1999, pp 9–42.
3. 3. Mohanty, AK, Misra, M, Drzal, LT. Natural fibers, biopolymers, and biocomposites: An introduction. In: Mohanty A, Misra M, Drzal LT (eds) Natural fiber, biopolymer, and biocomposites. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2005, pp 1–36.
4. 4. Aziz, SH, Ansell, MP. Optimising the properties of green composites. In: Baillie C (ed) Green composites: Polymer composites and the environment. Woodhead Publishing, Boca Raton, 2004, pp 154–180.
5. 5. Satyanarayana, KG, Arizaga, GGC, Wypych, F. 2009. Biodegradable composites based on lignocellulosic fibers–An overview. Progress in Polymer Science; 34(9): 982–1021.
6. 6. Mohanty, AK, Misra, M, Hinrichsen, G. 2000. Biofibres, biodegradable polymers and biocomposites: An overview. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering; 276–277(1): 1–24.
7. 7. Bismarck, A, Mishra, S, Lampke, T. Plant fibers as reinforcement for green composites. In: Mohanty A, Misra M, Drzal LT (eds) Natural fibers, biopolymers, and biocomposites. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2005, pp 37-108.
8. 8. Wambua, P, Ivens, J, Verpoest, I. 2003. Natural fibres: Can they replace glass in fibre reinforced plastics? Composites Science and Technology; 63(9): 1259–1264.

9. 9. Joshi, SV, Drzal, LT, Mohanty, AK, Arora, S. 2004. Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites? Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing; 35(3): 371–376.
10. 10. Mehta, G, Mohanty, AK, Thayer, K, Misra, M, Drzal, LT. 2005. Novel biocomposites sheet molding compounds for low cost housing panel applications. Journal of Polymers and the Environment; 13: 169–175.
11. 11. Bledzki, AK, Faruk, O, Sperber, VE. Cars from bio-fibres. 2006. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering; 291(5): 449–457.
12. 12. Bilisik, K, Karaduman, NS, Bilisik, NE, Bilisik, HE. 2013. Three-dimensional fully interlaced woven preforms for composites. Textile Research Journal; 83(19): 2060-2084.
13. 13. Potluri, P, Sharif, T, Jetavat, D. 2008. Robotic approach to textile preforming for composites. Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Research; 33: 333-338.