While cutting PLA/jute composite sheets for the drone frame I decided to perform a simple test of material strength just to have a rough comparison with standard 3D printed parts.

I have cut small PLA/jute blocks and printed the same shape on the 3D printer.

I drilled the holes into the blocks and secured them on the table. Pieces were then gradually loaded with a digital fish scale to record the maximum force at the time of failure. I know there are standardized tests for such measurements, but for the first test this method should suffice.

From the results we can not see a significant improvement in case of the PLA/jute composite, but hey at least it did not turn out much worst :).

Based on the failed parts we can see that both the fill factor of the jute and the adhesion between both components could be improved. This is something to think about for the next batch of sheets if it comes to that.

Now there is nothing else left to do than to build the drone frame while waiting for other components to arrive from China.