An Experimental Investigation of Natural-fibre/Rubber Reinforced Bio-composites under Low-velocity Impact Analysis

Abstract

Natural fibers are renewable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly; they have become a viable material for a wide range of uses. These composites consist of a natural fibre matrix modified with flax, hemp, sisal, jute, and bamboo. The aim of this present investigation is to explore the existing research, which focuses on examining the influence of natural fibre's absorbed energy and peak force on hemp rubber hemp (HRH), jute rubber jute (JRJ), hemp rubber jute (HRJ), and glass rubber glass (GRG) composite laminates under Low-velocity impact (LVI) analysis. The LVI test results affirmed that the HRH laminates have more energy absorption and elastic energy by 44.34%, 10.6%, and 80% as compared to other configurations due to their stiffness and robustness. The free vibrational analysis shows that the HRH samples have the highest natural frequency of 526.9 Hz compared to JRJ, HRJ, and GRG. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) discloses the failure mechanisms of the tested samples, including interlaminar failure, delamination, and matrix cracking due to the stress concentration in the impacted region.