Search results

This paper aims to examine the loss of tenacity and colorfastness properties of bleached and modified (acrylonitrile, AN and methacrylonitrile, MAN) jute fibres dyed with Reactive Orange 14 and Basic Violet 14.

Jute fibres dyed with Reactive Orange 14 and Basic Violet 14 were studied as a function of exposure to sunlight in air, washing with soap solution and spotting with acids and alkalis.

Dye absorption of Basic Violet 14 was higher compared to Reactive Orange 14 at optimum dyeing conditions. Optimum dye uptake of Reactive Orange 14 required relatively severe conditions compared to that of Basic Violet 14. Whereas, Reactive Orange 14 showed overall good colorfastness to sunlight and moderate in washing compared to Basic Violet 14. All the bleached and modified fibres showed good colorfastness to weak acids and alkalis regardless of Reactive Orange 14 and Basic Violet 14 dyes. The loss in tenacity was higher in the case of non-modified fibres, and among the modified fibres, Basic Violet 14 showed the lowest loss in tenacity in the exposure to sunlight.

Many studies have been devoted to improve the substantivity of cellulosic fibre for reactive dyes. A few efforts were made to improve the light fastness. In this work, investigation will be made on a comparative study of loss of tenacity and colorfastness properties of bleached and modified (AN and MAN) jute fibres dyed with both Reactive Orange 14 and Basic Violet 14 on exposure to sunlight, washing and acid and alkali spotting. Optimum dyeing conditions will also be investigated for economic dyeing.

This paper aims to prepare BisGMA (bisphenol-A glycidyldimethacrylate)/jute fibre/fly ash hybrid composites with improved mechanical and corrosive properties.

BisGMA prepolymer was first synthesised using diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A and methacrylic acid. Then 2-hydroxy ethylacrylate-treated jute fibre and sodium hydroxide-treated fly ash were incorporated in the fabrication of composites using dicumyl peroxide, cobalt naphthenate and N,N-dimethyl aniline as catalyst, accelerator and promoter, respectively. The composition of BisGMA, jute fibre and fly ash was kept constant, whereas treated and untreated jute fibre and fly ash were used alternatively.

Treatment of both jute and fly ash leads to improved mechanical properties of composites. However, treated fabric plays a dominant role compared to treated fly ash as filler. Among all the composites, the one having both treated jute fibre and treated fly ash is the most suitable composite for structural applications.

The present investigation has come up with a hybrid composite that can be used for a wide range of applications like low-cost housing and structural projects, structural laminates, etc., as it is both corrosion- and moisture-resistant. It is also the most durable from the mechanical point of view. There is also a scope of using other fillers instead of fly ash to study the changes brought about in the mechanical properties.

The above composites have never been fabricated before.

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize chitosan, N-octyl chitosan (NOCh) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) derivative from prawn shell wastes and identify their applications as modifiers on cellulosic fibres, jute and cotton, to develop quality textile fibres.

Chitosan was obtained by deacetylation of chitin. NOCh was obtained by reductive amination of chitosan. Water-soluble CMCh was prepared by reacting chitosan with monochloroacetic acid in aqueous alkaline media at ambient conditions. Chitosan, NOCh and CMCh were applied on cellulosic fibres, and structure and physico-chemical characteristics of chitosan derivatives and modified fibres were investigated and analysed.

The molecular weight, degree of deacetylation and ash content of prepared chitosan were 1,39,958 Da, 85 and 2.33 per cent, respectively. The moisture content, water holding capacity and total nitrogen content were above 10, 450 and 6.5 per cent, respectively. Average degree of substitution of CMCh was 0.82 as determined by titrimetric analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed characteristic peaks of carbonyl group at 1,659 cm⁻¹, –NH2 at 1,600 cm⁻¹, symmetric stretching of C-H in the methyl group at 1,520 cm⁻¹ and carboxylic group at 1,737 cm⁻¹. Thermograms showed moderate thermal stability in treated fibres compared to untreated fibres. Surface morphology of the modified fibres exhibited smoother surface due to the absorption of chitosan, NOCh and CMCh.

Modification of jute and cotton by sorption of NOCh and CMCh introduced new functional groups on the fibre surface with chemical bonding, which was confirmed by FTIR. Surface morphology of the fibres was carried out by scanning electron microscopy. As the modified fibres also showed good dyeability and colour fastness as well as other properties, the chitosan derivatives as a textile modifier would be helpful to avoid synthetic petroleum-based chemical modifiers as well as to manage the environmental pollution from prawn shell waste and other toxic chemicals.

Here, attempts have been made to explore the possible use of Marine waste as filler materials into the bio-fibre composites. Clam shell is a type of marine waste which belongs to the class of Bivalvia. It is mainly made of aragonite crystalline polymorphs. This paper aims to develop a new class of natural fibre composite in which jute fibre as reinforcement, epoxy as matrix and clam shell, as particulate microsphere filler. The study investigates the effects of different amounts of clam shell powder on the kinetics of water absorption of jute fibre-reinforced epoxy composite. Two different environmental conditions at room temperature, i.e. distilled water and seawater, are collected for this purpose. Moisture absorption reduces when clam shell is added to the jute-epoxy composite. The curve of water absorption of jute-epoxy composites with filler loading at both environmental conditions follows as Fickian behaviour.

Hand lay-up technique to fabricate the composite – Experimental observation

The incorporation of Clam shell filler in jute epoxy composite modified the water absorption property of the composite. Hence the present marine waste is an potential filler in jute fibre reinforced polymer composite.

The paper demonstrates a new class hybrid composite material which uses a marine waste as important phase in the bio-fibre-reinforced composite. It is a new work submitted for original research paper.

The purpose of this study is to develop jute-glass hybrid fibre reinforced polyester-based bio-composites using an indigenously developed pultrusion set-up and to present a detailed discussion on their mechanical characterization.

The work was carried out to observe the hybridization effect of natural and synthetic fibres in combination with hybrid fillers loading mainly on strength and other properties. The used hybrid fillers were a combination of 9 Wt.% of carbon black%, 6 Wt.% of eggshell ash powder and 6 Wt.% of coconut coir ash powder. A lab-based developed pultrusion set-up was used to develop these hybrid GJFRP composites of 1,500 mm length. The developed composites were tested for tensile strength, compressive strength and impact strength.

The maximum tensile, compressive and impact strength obtained are 88.37 MPa, 56.13 MPa and 731.91 J/m from 9 Wt.%, 9 Wt.% and 0 Wt.% of hybrid fillers loading, respectively. Breaking energy was found maximum as 7.31 J in hybrid glass-jute hybrid fibre reinforced plastic composites with no filler loading and it was observed that filler loading was decreasing the impact strength of developed hybrid composites. Shrinkage and its variations in the diameter of the finally developed cylindrical shape composites were observed after cooling and solidification. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the internal cracks, bonding of fibres and resin, voids, etc.

Development of hybrid filler based novel eco-friendly bio-composites and its experimental investigation on the impact strength, tensile strength and compressive strength has not been attempted yet.

The aim of the present study is to find the tribological properties of newly developed polyester-based hybrid glass-jute fibre reinforced plastic composites loaded with different weight per cent of hybrid filler particles were investigated under a dry sliding medium from room temperature to 75°C.

The study was carried out using a pin-on-disc wear test set-up. The design of experiments was carried out in a controlled way using a central composite design based on response surface methodology to observe the effect of various parameters i.e. sliding velocity, sliding distance, the temperature of counterface and different applied load conditions during dry-sliding.

The maximum wear resistance was found at 9 Wt% loading of filler, 4 ms^-1 sliding velocity, 30 N applied load, 54°C temperature of the counterface and 1,100 m sliding distance condition. Optimum values of hybrid filler loading, sliding velocity, applied load, the temperature of the counterface and sliding distance for the minimum coefficient of friction value and minimum friction force are 9 Wt%, 4 ms⁻¹, 30 N, 54° C, 1,100 m and 12 Wt%, 3 ms⁻¹, 20 N, 59°C and 1,100 m, respectively. The worn surface morphology was studied using scanning electron microscope, for wear dominant mechanisms.

The tribological properties of newly developed polyester-based hybrid glass-jute fibre reinforced plastic composites loaded with different weight % of hybrid filler particles, were investigated under dry sliding medium from room temperature to 75°C has not been attempted yet.

After reading this case, the students will be able to comprehend the conceptual framework of entrepreneurial learning to tap business opportunities; identify the challenges of small businesses; understand the structure of the franchise business model; and recognise the need for succession planning for business sustainability and evaluate various options for succession.

“Jute Cottage”, the two-decade-old brand, was operating through its own stores and franchise outlets. The brain behind the brand was Nasreen and her husband Bilal. Dire times led the duo, venture into this business. It was in 1992, the family had relocated from Kolkata and was trying to make a living in Bangalore. Nasreen joined as a teacher and her husband focused on his existing trading business in jute packaging material. This was when Nasreen tried selling jute bags from home that were bought from Kolkata. After a few years, when Bilal’s business had a setback, Nasreen thought of giving a push to her home business. This was how a business that was started at a small level grew slowly and steadily under Nasreen’s leadership to become a brand and reach the current level of owning four stores and 10 franchise outlets across South India. As Nasreen and Bilal were growing old and wanted to retire, they expected their only son, Ataullah, to take over the reins of their business. But to their dismay, he was not interested, as his focus was on movie-making and designing.

The case can be taught to MBA/PGDM students to give them experiential learning in the courses on Entrepreneurship and Strategy. It gives insight on how to tap the business opportunities, grow and sustain. The case also highlights the need for succession planning for business continuity.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Dref-3 friction spun core yarns produced using staple fibre yarn as the core, e.g. Jute core yarn wrapped with cotton fibre, have poorer mechanical properties compared to the core yarn itself. The purpose of this study was to understand the structure of such yarns, that will lead to the optimization of fibre, machine and process variables for production of better quality yarn from the Dref-3/3000 machines.

The Dref spinning trials were conducted following a full factorial design with six variables, all with two operative levels. The Dref-3 friction spun yarn, in which the core is a plied, twisted ring yarn composed of cotton singles and the sheath, formed from the same cotton fibres making the singles, has been examined. The structures have also been studied by using the tracer fibre technique.

It was observed that rather than depending on the plied core yarn, the tensile properties of the Dref-3 yarn are significantly determined by the parameters those affect the constituent single yarn tensile properties, i.e. the amount of twist and its twist direction, yarn linear density and the sheath fibre proportion used during the Dref spinning in making the final yarn. Further, when the twist direction of single yarn, double yarn and the Dref spinning false twisting are in the same direction, the produced core-sheath yarn exhibits better tensile properties.

The understanding of the yarn structure will lead to optimized production of all staple fibre core Dref spun yarns.

The research work may lead to utilization of coarse and harsh untapped natural fibres to the production of value-added textile products.

Though an earlier research has reported the effects of sheath fibre fineness and length on the tensile and bending properties of Dref-3 friction yarn, the present study is the first documented attempt using the tracer fibre technique to understand Dref-3 yarn structure with plied staple fibrous core.

In the recent years, the industries show interest in natural and synthetic fibre-reinforced hybrid composites due to weight reduction and environmental reasons. The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the properties of the hybrid composites fabricated by using carbon, untreated and alkaline-treated hemp fibres.

The composites were tested for strengths under tensile, flexural, impact and shear loadings, and the water absorption characteristics were also observed. The finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to analyse the elastic behaviour of the composites and predict the strength by using ANSYS 15.0.

From the experimental results, it is observed that the hybrid composites can withstand the maximum tensile strength of 61.4 MPa, flexural strength of 122.4 MPa, impact strength of 4.2 J/mm² and shear strength of 25.5 MPa. From the FEA results, it is found that the maximum stress during tensile, flexural and impact loading is 47.5, 2.1 and 1.03 MPa, respectively.

The results of the untreated and alkaline-treated hemp-carbon fibre composites were compared and found that the alkaline-treated composites perform better in terms of mechanical properties. Then, the ANSYS-predicted values were compared with the experimental results, and it was found that there is a high correlation occurs between the untreated and alkali-treated hemp-carbon fibre composites. The internal structure of the broken surfaces of the composite samples was analysed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to review research studies on process optimisation and machine development that lead to the enhancement of final products in various aspects of the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process.

An overview of the literature, focussing on process parameters, machine developments and material characterisations. This study investigates recent research studies that studied FDM capabilities in printing a vast range of materials from thermoplastics to metal alloys.

FDM is one of the most common techniques in additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Many parameters in this technology have effects on three-dimensional printed products. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain the optimum elements, for example, build orientation, layer thickness, nozzle diameter, infill pattern and bed temperature. By selecting a proper variable range of parameters, the layers adhere strongly and building end-use products of high quality are achievable. A vast range of materials and their properties from polymers to composite-based polymers are presented. Novel techniques to print metal alloys and composites are examined to increase the productivity of the FDM process. Additionally, defects such as shrinkage and warpage are discussed to eliminate the system’s limitations and improve the quality of final products. Multi-axis and mobile machines brought enhancements throughout the process to eliminate obstacles such as staircase defects in the conventional FDM process. In brief, recent developments were identified and a summary of major improvements was discussed in this study for future research.

This paper is an overview that provides information about research and developments in FDM. This review focusses on process optimisation and obstacles in printing polymers, composites, geopolymers and novel materials. Therefore, machine characteristics were examined to find out the accessibility of printing novel materials for different applications.