A comparative study on adding chopped kenaf fibers to the core of glass/epoxy laminates under quasi-static indentation: Experimental and numerical approaches

Abstract

Implementation of natural fibers like kenaf in composite laminates has been the focus of many researchers. The considerable price of Low-Velocity Impact (LVI) testing, as well as the time constraints imposed by the short duration of this experiment, and prior reports of the obedience of Quasi-Static Indentation (QSI) test findings to LVI test results, have encouraged researchers to employ QSI instead of LVI. This work compares the mechanical characteristics of composite laminates consisting of chopped glass and kenaf fibers as a core and investigates the effect of hybridizing the mentioned chopped fibers as the core of a laminate. Three types of laminates with different core materials were fabricated to do this research. The results showed that among the laminates with the same weight, kenaf core laminate has the highest resistance against indentation and has the best performance in terms of absorbed energy, peak load, and damaged region. Using chopped kenaf fiber instead of chopped glass fiber can increase the absorbed energy and the peak load by 36% and 17%, respectively. Also, hybridizing the mentioned chopped fibers has not fully maximized the properties of the composite laminate during the QSI test. Finally, finite element modelling of the laminates was performed, and the numerical and experimental results were pretty aligned.

Investigating the transient angle in a unidirectional composite in tension and compression

“…In addition, other properties are based on datasheets presented by the glass fiber, resin manufacturer, and derived data from previous studies. 66…”

“…In the seventh and last step, the hardened composites are separated from the mold, and they are ready to be cured (The schematic of this process is shown in Figure 3). 66

Figure 3.Schematic diagram of the resin flow in a vacuum infusion process. 71

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“…In addition, other properties are based on datasheets presented by the glass fiber, resin manufacturer, and derived data from previous studies. 66 The information related to the production of tensile test specimens with 0°of fiber misalignment is given in Table 2.…”

“…In the seventh and last step, the hardened composites are separated from the mold, and they are ready to be cured (The schematic of this process is shown in Figure 3). 66 In this project, the composite parts were kept at room temperature for 10 days after being separated from the mold. Then according to the standard dimensions, the specimens were cut for tension and compression tests.…”

A Review on Bast-Fibre-Reinforced Hybrid Composites and Their Applications

“…There are several factors, such as fibre loading, the effect of the treatment applied to the fibres, and the stacking of the fibres, that play an important role in the resultant properties of the bast hybrid composites [ 30 , 31 ]. Since these factors are essential for their intended applications, most studies based on bast hybrid composites have been dedicated to finding the balance between these factors [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. In addition, there have been some studies dedicated to finding a good combination between the fibres, since they display different properties [ 33 , 35 ].…”