Study of saturated and unsaturated permeability in natural fiber fabrics

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to understand how the main processing variables are affected when glass fibers are replaced by natural fibers in reinforced plastics. In this publication, a jute fabric was characterized in terms of its saturated and unsaturated permeability. It was found that fluid absorption and swelling are mechanisms present in natural fibers that reduce both permeabilities. Fluid absorption removes fluid from the main stream as it travels through the reinforcement, acting as a sink component and thus decreasing flow velocity during the unsaturated flow. Also, the saturation of the natural fibers cause swelling, reducing the porosity and increasing flow resistance during saturated flow.