Micromechanical FE Analysis of Unidirectional E-Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38032/scse.2025.3.109Keywords:
FEA, Composite, E-Glass, ABAQUS, MicromechanicalAbstract
Composite materials, formed by consolidating two or more materials with distinct physical and chemical characteristics, exhibit unique properties which is not found in their individual components. Extensive research has been conducted using micromechanical approaches to analyze unidirectional (UD) composites, demonstrating their efficacy in addressing composite material-related challenges. This study employed micromechanical finite element analysis (FEA) to estimate the effective properties of UD E-glass fiber reinforced composites. The analysis started with a random distribution of fibers within the representative volume element (RVE), followed by two regular distributions: hexagonally packed and square packed. An algorithm using Python generated the random fiber distribution within RVE, considering the fibers have perfectly circular cross-sections. The fiber volume fraction within the RVE was varied from 0.1 to 0.5, and the effects on the properties of the composite were evaluated. Rule of Mixtures (ROM) was employed to determine the longitudinal modulus and Poisson’s ratio, while Halpin-Tsai equation was applied for the transverse modulus and shear modulus. These analytical solutions were then compared with FEA results. It is observed from the present analysis that with fiber volume fraction increased from 10% to 50% the effective properties also increased, for instance E11 for random distribution increased from 11.76 GPa to 39.5 GPa, except the Poisson’s ratio, which decreased to 0.25 from 0.32. Comparing with the other distribution, Random distribution exhibited superior load carrying capacity.
Downloads
Downloads
Downloads
References
[1] B. A. Bednarcyk and S. M. Arnold, “Micromechanics-based deformation and failure prediction for longitudinally reinforced titanium composites,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 705–729, Apr. 2001.
[2] C. CHAMIS and R. LARK, “Hybrid composites - State-of-the-art review: Analysis, design, application and fabrication,” Mar. 1977.
[3] R. M. Jones, “Mechanics of Composite Materials,” Oct. 2018.
[4] C. Chamis, “Simplified composite micromechanics equations for hygral, thermal and mechanical properties | Semantic Scholar,” 1983. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Simplified-composite-micromechanics-equations-for-Chamis/4dc48da317971c255e9f805b44d8146f7e0065d0 (accessed May 28, 2022).
[5] T. Mori and K. Tanaka, “Average stress in matrix and average elastic energy of materials with misfitting inclusions,” Acta Metall., vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 571–574, May 1973
[6] G.-D. Cheng, Y.-W. Cai, L. Xu, G.-D. Cheng, Y.-W. Cai, and L. Xu, “Novel implementation of homogenization method to predict effective properties of periodic materials,” AcMSn, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 550–556, Aug. 2013.
[7] X. Y. Zhou, P. D. Gosling, C. J. Pearce, Z. Ullah, and L. Kaczmarczyk, “Perturbation-based stochastic multi-scale computational homogenization method for woven textile composites,” Int. J. Solids Struct., vol. 80, pp. 368–380, Feb. 2016.
[8] J. M. M. De Kok and H. E. H. Meijer, “Deformation, yield and fracture of unidirectional composites in transverse loading: 1. Influence of fibre volume fraction and test-temperature,” Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 30, no. 7, pp. 905–916, Jul. 1999.
[9] R. N. Yancey, “Challenges, Opportunities, and Perspectives on Lightweight Composite Structures: Aerospace Versus Automotive,” Light. Compos. Struct. Transp. Des. Manuf. Anal. Perform., pp. 35–52, Feb. 2016.
[10] G. Kretsis, “A review of the tensile, compressive, flexural and shear properties of hybrid fibre-reinforced plastics,” Composites, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 13–23, Jan. 1987.
[11] J. Lamon, “A micromechanics-based approach to the mechanical behavior of brittle-matrix composites,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 61, no. 15, pp. 2259–2272, Nov. 2001.
[12] H. Sun, S. Di, N. Zhang, and C. Wu, “Micromechanics of composite materials using multivariable finite element method and homogenization theory,” Int. J. Solids Struct., vol. 38, no. 17, pp. 3007–3020, Mar. 2001.
[13] J. Mirbagheri, “(PDF) Prediction of the Elastic Modulus of Wood Flour/Kenaf Fibre/Polypropylene Hybrid Composites,” 2017. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267790727_Prediction_of_the_Elastic_Modulus_of_Wood_FlourKenaf_FibrePolypropylene_Hybrid_Composites (accessed May 28, 2022).
[14] M. Ramesh, K. Palanikumar, and K. H. Reddy, “Mechanical property evaluation of sisal–jute–glass fiber reinforced polyester composites,” Compos. Part B Eng., vol. 48, pp. 1–9, May 2013.
[15] N. Bonora and A. Ruggiero, “Micromechanical modeling of composites with mechanical interface - Part 1: Unit cell model development and manufacturing process effects,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 314–322, Feb.
[16] A. Drago and M. J. Pindera, “Micro-macromechanical analysis of heterogeneous materials: Macroscopically homogeneous vs periodic microstructures,” Compos. Sci. Technol., vol. 67, no. 6, pp. 1243–1263, May 2007.
[17] A. Wongsto and S. Li, “Micromechanical FE analysis of UD fibre-reinforced composites with fibres distributed at random over the transverse cross-section,” Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 36, no. 9, pp. 1246–1266, Sep. 2005.
[18] L. L. Faulkner et al., “Principles of Composite Material Mechanics,” Princ. Compos. Mater. Mech., Feb. 2016.
[19] Y. Huang, K. K. Jin, and S. K. Ha, “Effects of Fiber Arrangement on Mechanical Behavior of Unidirectional Composites:,” J. Compos. Mater., vol. 42, no. 18, pp. 1851–1871, Jul. 2008.
[20] X. Y. Zhou, P. D. Gosling, C. J. Pearce, Z. Ullah, and L. Kaczmarczyk, “Perturbation-based stochastic multi-scale computational homogenization method for woven textile composites,” Int. J. Solids Struct., vol. 80, pp. 368–380, Feb. 2016.
[21] ABAQUS (2017) Analysis User's Manual, Version 6.14, Dassault Systemes, Simulia Inc.
[22] W. J. Drugan and J. R. Willis, “A micromechanics-based nonlocal constitutive equation and estimates of representative volume element size for elastic composites,” J. Mech. Phys. Solids, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 497–524, Apr. 1996
Published
Conference Proceedings Volume
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 A. B. M. Tareq Rahman Sakib, Md. Shahidul Islam, Md. Jamiun Noor Shadman (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All the articles published by this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
