Numerical Study of CFRP Composite Strength as a Function of Natural Fiber Quantity

In this research, we used Ansys Product 2022 R1’s material design library to investigate how the addition of short hemp fibers affects the mechanical properties of epoxy resin. We applied the Representative Volume Element (RVE) method to explore various volume fractions, up to 50%. Our study relied on a multi-scale modeling approach based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) for numerical homogenization. We also used the same software to construct a five-layer laminated composite. These composites consisted of epoxy resin enriched with 30% short hemp fibers and pure epoxy resin, both reinforced with carbon fibers. Our main goal was to evaluate the mechanical behavior of each sample during a tensile test, focusing on different parameters such as total deformation and directional deformation. Remarkably, the samples enriched with 30% short hemp fibers within the epoxy resin matrix showed excellent mechanical strength compared to the other samples. These results strongly suggest that incorporating short hemp fibers into the matrix significantly improves the mechanical performance of the composite material.