The reinforcement of jute spun yarn has a fineness of
400tex. Resin yarns comprising neat polylactic acid
(PLA) were supplied by Unitika Ltd, while
polyoxymethylene (POM) and POM/PLA blend fibers
were supplied by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company,
INC.
MBYs that were prepared from blend fibers are
known as fiber blending while those prepared from
matrix hybridization are known as either alternating or
two-layer corresponding to the braiding patterns
described in Figure 2 (a) or (b), respectively. The PLA
content in the composites was varied at 40, 60, and 80
wt% while control specimens were also prepared from
neat POM or PLA resin fibers.