Simulation of tensile behavior of plant fibers using the Discrete Element Method (DEM)

Tensile behaviors of plant fibers significantly affect mechanical performance of the fiber reinforced composites. A numerical model was developed to simulate the tensile behavior of a plant fiber using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). The model fiber was constructed with spherical particles bonded together. The model outputs were tensile strength (σmacro) and Young's modulus (Emacro) of fiber. Tensile tests were conducted to measure these two properties of hemp fiber to calibrate model micro-parameters. Simulation results showed that the most influential micro-parameters were micro-strength of the bond (σmicro) and Young's modulus of particles (Emicro). The following relationships were found: σmicro = 1.89 σmacro and Emicro = 0.99 Emacro. Using the tensile test data of hemp fiber, the calibrated values were 721.81 MPa for σmicro and 19.50 GPa for Emicro. With the results from this study, the micro-parameters can be determined for DE modeling of any plant fibers, such as flax and Jute.