Numerical Study on Elastic Properties of Natural Fibres in Multi-Hybrid Composites.

Abstract

This study investigates the elastic properties of bio-epoxy composites reinforced with natural fibres (flax, hemp) and synthetic fibres (S-glass), with particular focus on the effect of the fibre volume fraction (VF) ranging from 10% to 70%. Three-dimensional representative volume element (RVE) models were developed for single-fibre, hybrid, and multi-fibre systems. The mean-field homogenisation (MF) approach, based on the Mori-Tanaka scheme, and finite element analysis (FEA) with periodic boundary conditions were employed to predict the effective elastic properties, including longitudinal, transverse, and shear moduli, as well as Poisson's ratio. These numerical predictions were validated against analytical models, including the rule of mixtures, Chamis, and composite cylinder assemblage (CCA) methods. The results demonstrate that increasing the VF enhances longitudinal, transverse, and shear moduli while reducing Poisson's ratio in natural fibre composites. The good agreement between numerical, semi-analytical, and analytical methods validates the 3D RVE models as useful tools for predicting the properties of multi-hybrid natural fibre composites, supporting their design for lightweight structural applications.