Tensile attributes and material analysis of kevlar and date palm fibers reinforced epoxy composites for automotive bumper applications

Abstract

Bumper beam is the most important components in the automotive sector for the passenger safety. In this work Kevlar fiber and Date palm fibers were selected as the material for bumper beam. The different weight percentages of Kevlar and date palm reinforced epoxy composites specimens were fabricated through hand lay-up method. The fabricated specimen utilised for the tensile test. The tensile test results expose the better enhancement in tensile strength and tensile modulus. Afterward, the bumper design was modelled by CATIA. The designed bumper beam structure was analysed in FEA software (ANSYS). In ANSYS, for predicting the mechanical properties of each layer, elastic properties of hybrid laminate structure were calculated from the classical laminate theory (CLT). Static and dynamic analysis of Kevlar/date palm composites were analysed and these theoretical values are compared with GMT. Subsequently, the experimental tensile test results were compared with finite element analysis.