1Mech. Engg. Dept, K. L. College of Engineering, Vaddeswaram, A.P, India.
2Mech. Engg. Dept., P. V. P. Siddhartha Institute of Technology, Vijayawada, A.P, India.
3J.N.T.U, Hyderabad, A.P, India.
The present investigation studies the micromechanical behaviour of the hexagonal unit cell of a discontinuous fiber reinforced composite lamina. A three-dimensional finite element model, which uses three-dimensional theory of elasticity for stress-strain relations, has been modeled from the unit cells of hexagonal pattern of the composite to predict the longitudinal Young's modulus and poisson's ratios of hybrid fiber reinforced lamina consisting of T300 and S Glass fibers for 55% volume fraction. The finite element model is validated by comparing the Young's modulus predicted from this model with the elasticity solution for continuous fiber reinforced composite and found very close agreement. Later this finite element model is used to predict the longitudinal Young's modulus and associated poisson's ratios of a unidirectional discontinuous hybrid fiber reinforced composite. The stresses at the fiber-matrix interface are also determined from this model. The finite element software ANSYS has been successfully executed to evaluate the properties and stresses. The variation of the stresses at the fiber-matrix interface is discussed. This analysis will be useful in identifying the benefits of hybridization effect in unidirectional discontinuous hybrid fiber reinforced composites.
