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Polymers
Volume 18
Issue 2
10.3390/polym18020235
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Article

Development and Mechanical Characterization of a Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite Helmet Produced by Vacuum Infusion

by
Robson Luis Baleeiro Cardoso
1,
Maurício Maia Ribeiro
2,
Douglas Santos Silva
3,*,
Raí Felipe Pereira Junio
3,
Elza Monteiro Leão Filha
1,
Sergio Neves Monteiro
3 and
Jean da Silva Rodrigues
1
1
Materials Engineering Program, Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará—IFPA, Avenida Almirante Barroso, 1155, Marco, Belém CEP 66093-020, PA, Brazil
2
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará—IFPA, Estrada do Icuí Guajará, Ananindeua CEP 67125-000, PA, Brazil
3
Department of Materials Science, Military Institute of Engineering—IME, Praça General Tibúrcio, 80, Praia Vermelha, Urca, Rio de Janeiro CEP 22290-270, RJ, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Polymers 2026, 18(2), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020235
Submission received: 27 December 2025 / Revised: 13 January 2026 / Accepted: 14 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fatigue and Fracture of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers)
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Abstract

This study presents the development and mechanical characterization of a full-scale helmet manufactured from a polyester matrix composite reinforced with woven jute fabric using vacuum infusion. Laminates with two and four reinforcement layers were produced and assembled using four joining configurations: seamless, stitched, bonded, and hybrid (bonded + stitched). Tensile tests were performed according to ASTM D3039, while frontal and lateral compression tests followed ABNT NBR 7471, aiming to evaluate the influence of laminate thickness and joining strategy on mechanical performance. In tension, the seamless configuration reached maximum loads of 0.80 kN (two layers) and 1.60 kN (four layers), while the hybrid configuration achieved 0.79 kN and 1.43 kN, respectively. Stitched and bonded joints showed lower strength. Under compression, increasing the laminate thickness from two to four layers reduced frontal elongation from 15.09 mm to 9.97 mm and lateral elongation from 13.73 mm to 7.24 mm, corresponding to stiffness gains of 50.3% and 87.3%, respectively. Statistical analysis (ANOVA/Tukey, α = 0.05) confirmed significant effects of thickness and joint configuration. Although vacuum infusion is a well-established process, the novelty of this work lies in its application to a full-scale natural-fiber helmet, combined with a systematic evaluation of joining strategies and a direct correlation between standardized tensile behavior and structural compression performance. The four-layer hybrid laminate exhibited the best balance between strength, stiffness, and deformation capacity.
Keywords: polyester composite; jute fiber; vacuum infusion; mechanical properties; sustainable materials polyester composite; jute fiber; vacuum infusion; mechanical properties; sustainable materials
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MDPI and ACS Style

Cardoso, R.L.B.; Ribeiro, M.M.; Silva, D.S.; Junio, R.F.P.; Leão Filha, E.M.; Monteiro, S.N.; Rodrigues, J.d.S. Development and Mechanical Characterization of a Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite Helmet Produced by Vacuum Infusion. Polymers 2026, 18, 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020235

AMA Style

Cardoso RLB, Ribeiro MM, Silva DS, Junio RFP, Leão Filha EM, Monteiro SN, Rodrigues JdS. Development and Mechanical Characterization of a Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite Helmet Produced by Vacuum Infusion. Polymers. 2026; 18(2):235. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020235

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cardoso, Robson Luis Baleeiro, Maurício Maia Ribeiro, Douglas Santos Silva, Raí Felipe Pereira Junio, Elza Monteiro Leão Filha, Sergio Neves Monteiro, and Jean da Silva Rodrigues. 2026. "Development and Mechanical Characterization of a Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite Helmet Produced by Vacuum Infusion" Polymers 18, no. 2: 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020235

APA Style

Cardoso, R. L. B., Ribeiro, M. M., Silva, D. S., Junio, R. F. P., Leão Filha, E. M., Monteiro, S. N., & Rodrigues, J. d. S. (2026). Development and Mechanical Characterization of a Jute Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Composite Helmet Produced by Vacuum Infusion. Polymers, 18(2), 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020235

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