Two types of unidirectional carbon fibre, one of high strength (DHMS) and another of medium strength (VLMS) reinforced vinylester resin composites have been examined for their impact fatigue behaviour over 10⁴ impact cycles for the first time. The study was conducted using a pendulum type repeated impact apparatus specially designed and constructed for the purpose. A well-defined impact fatigue behaviour (S–N type curve) curve has been demonstrated. It showed a plateau region of 10–10² cycles immediately below the single cycle impact strength, followed by progressive endurance with decreasing impact loads, culminating in an endurance limit at about 71% and 85% of the single impact strength for DHMS-48 and VLMS-48, respectively. Analysis of the fractured surfaces revealed primary debonding, fibre breakage and pull-out at the tensile zone of the samples and a shear mode of fracture with breakage of fibre bundles at the compressive zone of the samples. The occurrence of a few major macrocracks in the matrix with fibre breakage at the high load–low endurance region and development of multiple microcracks in the matrix, coalescing and fibre breakage at the low-load–high endurance region have been inferred to explain the fatigue behaviour of the composites examined.

Jute fibres were subjected to a 5% alkali (NaOH) solution treatment for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h at 30°C. An improvement in the crystallinity in the jute fibres increased its modulus by 12%, 68% and 79% after 4, 6 and 8 h of treatment respectively. The tenacity of the fibres improved by 46% after 6 and 8 h treatment and the % breaking strain was reduced by 23% after 8 h treatment. For the 35% composites with 4 h treated fibres, the flexural strength improved from 199.1 MPa to 238.9 MPa by 20%, modulus improved from 11.89 GPa to 14.69 GPa by 23% and laminar shear strength increased from 0.238 MPa to 0.2834 MPa by 19%. On plotting the different values of slopes obtained from the rates of improvement of the flexural strength and modulus, against the NaOH treatment time, two different failure modes were apparent before and after 4 h of treatment. In the first region between 0 and 4 h, fibre pull out was predominant whereas in the second region between 6 and 8 h, transverse fracture occurred with a minimum fibre pull out. This observation was well supported by the SEM investigations of the fracture surfaces.