Numerical investigation on mechanical properties of a nanobiocomposite based on date palm fiber and nanoclays with interphase problem

The use of biocomposites has been a major concern in recent decades with the emergence of composites as materials that can replace conventional ones. To improve the mechanical properties of these materials, special attention is devoted to nano-reinforcements. Among these nano-reinforcements, NanoClays (NC) are attracting the attention of many researchers. This nanoparticle, in addition to being biobased, has good mechanical properties and its nanometric dimension allows it to be an interesting reinforcement for the composite because of the NC/Matrix surface contact that it develops. In this study, a 4-phase material (Matrix, NC, Palm fiber and interphase) will be studied and the effect of several parameters (Aspect Ratio (AR), distance between NC and loading point, interface thickness and interfacial conditions) will be assessed and discussed. To do this, a 3D FEM model is developed and a mesh convergence study is pre-established.