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 Jute Reinforced Composite Technology        

A US patent [23] M/s. De Groot Automotives BV of Netherlands describes the process of fabricating a sheet material. The sheet comprises polyurethane resin reinforced with binder free natural fibres such as jute, flax, hemp, coir, ramie, cotton etc. possibly combined with polypropylene, polyethylene and/or glass fibre. The preferred natural fibre is jute in the form of needled jute felt. The application lies in fabricating a sandwich panel with two outer walls made of jute composite sheets.

The Marlo Company Inc., Newton, Connecticut, USA in their patent [24] describe a packing material comprising glass in combination with organic fibre such as sintered polytetrafluroethylene (TFE) with or without impregnant. A preferred impregnant could be a lubricant with a binder. The process also talks of substitution of sintered TFE fibre by natural and other fibres.

In their application dating back to 1974, M/s. Care Inc., N.Y, USA patented [25] double-wall reinforced & insulating building panel with a combination of glass & jute composites. The panels comprise 
of an inner skin of woven jute layers saturated in polyester resin and an outer skin of woven jute with an exterior coating of chopped glass fibre both impregnated with polyester resin. The intermediate layer bonding inner & outer skin is made of corrugated woven jute composite. The panel is of lightweight and has high durability even in extreme temperature conditions.
Indian Scenario
Due to an occurrence of a wide variety of natural fibres in the country, Indian researchers have directed efforts for quite some time in developing innovative natural fibre composites for various applications. Development of diversified composite materials as wood substitutes is being considered an attractive solution with a view to conserve forest resources.  The existing wood substitute materials such as particle/fibre board and other materials 

 The national institutions such as National Institute of Research on Jute & Allied Fibre Technology (NIRJAFT), Indian Jute Industries Research Association (IJIRA), Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI), Department of Textile Technology-IIT Delhi, Regional Research Laboratory (RRL)-Bhopal, Institute of Jute Technology-Calcutta University, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee specially merit the mention for their long standing research activities.  IJIRA has carried out extensive work on pre-treatment of jute fibres with acrylonitrile for improving their compatibility with thermoset plastics.  NIRJAFT has developed a whole set of novel jute & other natural fibre composite products based on hot press moulding and hand lay-up techniques.  A lot of efforts has gone into the studies on resin/fibre ratio, physical & chemical characterization of jute composites, water absorption properties etc. apart from developing products such as panels, boards, packaging material etc.

  The grading of raw material and its implementation for the benefit of both cultivators & industry has been one of the significant contributions of NIRJAFT. A commercially viable technology has been developed by them for the manufacture of particle boards from jute stick, which is an agro-waste. IIT-Delhi has been quite active in developing jute-based geo-textiles for applications in prevention of soil erosion, leaching etc. CGCRI-Calcutta has worked on jute-glass hybrid components for cost reduction without sacrificing the mechanical properties [11]. An excellent example for commercial exploitation of jute composites has been the fabrication of  automobile interiors (door panels) by Birla Jute Industries Ltd. CBRI's research activities provided new insight into the contribution of the interface to the properties of the composites.

  A marked improvement in the properties of composites can occur when  proper coupling agent treatment is applied to the reinforcements. The use of surface modified natural fibres in polymer matrices has been studied by several researches at CBRI. The control of fibre-matrix adhesion is a critical factor to achieve optimal properties of composites. While the national research agencies in India have excellent scientific achievements to their credit for development of jute composites, efforts on their commercialisation have been limited so far. 

 In order to improve upon the laboratory-industry linkages towards application development & commercialization, The Advanced Composites Mission was conceptualised by Department of Science & Technology and Defence Research & Development Organization. The Mission mode activities are being implemented by Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC), an autonomous organization under DST. Among a wide array of composite product development, the Mission has launched a few projects focussing on jute composites.