Finite element analysis of mechanical response of cellulosic fiber-reinforced composites

Abstract

An investigation is carried out on natural cellulosic fibers which have gained interest in the composite field due to their superior specific properties as well as their eco-friendly environment character and biodegradability. A multi-scale finite element (FE) model of natural fiber composite materials is developed. The study is performed for multiple fibers in hexagonal packings with 10, 20, and 30% of fiber mass fractions. The mechanical behavior of the composite, processed by means of hand lay-up method and examined thanks to scanning electron microscopy (SEM), is simulated at macro-scale as well as mesoscopic scale. In particular, the response to tensile and three-point bending test is studied. Linear material properties are obtained by using pure strain assumptions in the implicit analysis of the composite, while the non-linear behavior and viscoelastic parameters require the explicit dynamic analysis. Simulation is performed thanks to ABAQUS finite element software. Comparison of experimental and FEM tensile and three-point bending strength shows very good agreement. From the results, it has been found that the prepared natural fiber composite materials can be used for structural engineering applications.