Analytical Determination of Mechanical Characteristics of Bio-Composites with Reinforcement of Fibers and Particles of Cameroonian's Plants

Abstract

This work involves calculating the mechanical characteristics of bio-composites reinforced with plant fibers and plant particles from semi-empirical formulas and comparing them with the results obtained experimentally, the aim of this approach being to determine the analytical model which gives results close to experimental results with the aim of reducing the delays linked to the experimental characterization of composites with reinforcement of Cameroonian fibers and particles. To carry out this work, we used the mechanical characteristics of the fibers of the trunks of Carica papaya, of the petioles of Elaeis guineensis and of the particles of the nuclei canarium schweinfurthii (black fruit); these elements were collected in the regions of Center and West Cameroon. These features have been implemented in the semi-empirical models of Voigt, Reuss, Hirsch, and Alpine-Tsai. From these implementations, it emerged on the one hand a framework of the constitutive law with the longitudinal modulus resulting from each semi-empirical model. On the other hand, the models of Voigt, Hopkins-Chamis and Halpin-Tsai best approach the experimental results for fiber-reinforced composite materials (papaya trunk and oil palm petioles), while the models of Voigt and Hopkins-Chamis are ideal for composites with reinforcement of black fruit kernel particles. Regarding the transverse moduli, the Hopkins-Chamis model gives higher values ​​than those obtained from the halpin-Tsai model. The Hopkins-Chamis and Halpin-Tsai models are best suited because they take into account the Voigt estimate.