Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Cotton Fabric Using Coconut and Rice Fibre

Abstract

The excellent properties such as biodegradability, regeneration, smoothness and hygroscopicity possessed by cotton fabrics made them highly popular among natural fabrics. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of the incorporation of coconut fibre and rice fibre on the mechanical properties of cotton fabric. The characterization of coconut fibre was determined by using FTIR BRUKER IFS 66V/S- Germany which showed the presence of (O-H, C-H, C=C, N=O, and C-N) functional groups and CARY-100 Conc UV–Vis spectro photo meter recorded UV-Visible wavelength of maximum absorption (?_max) at 278.00nm. The experiment was carried out using the control and other six composite materials.The result of the Tensile Strength of the coconut-fibre and rice-fibre reinforced fabric ranged from 2.86-7.23MPa and 3.64-7.01MPa respectively which is lower than the reference fabric (12.10MPa). Also, the Elastic Modulus of the composite samples experienced the highest at 63.29MPa which is more than half of the control fabric (113.41MPa). However, the reinforced fabric’s Elongation at break (15.42-22.15MPa) and the crease recovery angle (39⁰-45⁰)are higher than the reference fabric (12.03MPa and 39⁰). This study showed that the incorporated fibres only affect the symmetrical distribution of the load rather than increasing the load bearing ability of the fabric.