Numerical and experimental evaluation of a small boat sandwich structure manufactured with natural fiber composite and Miriti wood

ABSTRACT This work evaluates the technical viability of using green composites to build small boats, such as those used by riverine communities in the Amazon region. A 730 mm-long boat was constructed using a sandwich lamination technique. This miriti wood boat was coated with epoxy resin reinforced with two layers of unidirectional jute fabric on both the interior and exterior. The sandwich lamination provided benefits such as increased stiffness, impermeability, and a standardized production process. Fourteen strain gauges were installed on the boat's hull to measure strains in the key regions under various loads. The boat was experimentally tested using a bending test with bi-supported conditions. Additionally, a numerical model was developed using the finite element software ANSYS to simulate the same conditions as the experimental test. To enhance the accuracy of the numerical model, a code was developed using ANSYS Parametric Design Language to account for the anisotropic behavior of the jute composite. The numerical model was validated by comparing the experimentally measured strains with the calculated strains from the simulation.