Mechanical, Modal and Harmonic Behavior Analysis of Jute and Hemp Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

In this study, the dynamic structural and mechanical properties of the polymer composite with natural fiber reinforcement have been investigated experimentally and numerically. First of all, three different types, one-, three- and five-layered jute-epoxy and hemp-epoxy laminated composite, have been manufactured using the hand lay-up method. The tensile strength, bending strength and shear strength of the fabricated composite material have been investigated experimentally using Universal Testing Machine. The density is measured using a density measurement kit using Archimedes principle. Further, frequency and damping factors are also investigated using a vibration test setup. Later on, the numerical model is developed in finite element-based software ANSYS. Different natural frequency modes and corresponding damping factors have been investigated numerically. The mechanical and structural characteristics obtained experimentally and numerically are analyzed and discussed in detail. From the investigation, it is found that the hemp-epoxy composite has a greater strength and stiffness compared to the jute-epoxy composite, irrespective of the number of fiber layers used. Further, it is also found that with the increase in fiber layers or fiber percentage in the composite, the strength and stiffness of the fabricated composite increase significantly.