Development and performance evaluation of sustainable false banana fiber reinforced composite fan blades

The use of textile fibre-reinforced composite materials for many alternative applications has significantly increased in the twenty-first century due to their lightweight nature and high strength-to-weight ratio. In this study, false banana fibres were used as reinforcement and unsaturated polyester resin as the matrix. The optimal ratio of fibre to matrix was established through an analysis of physico-mechanical parameters, including tensile, compressive, and flexural strengths, water absorption, and void fraction, utilising Design Expert software. Additionally, deformation, Von Mises stress, Von Mises strain, and velocity were analyzed using ANSYS simulation software. The composite exhibited water absorption of 1.5% over 24 to 48 h, a void fraction of 1.02%, a tensile strength of 33.15 MPa, a compressive strength of 29.69 MPa, and a bending or flexural strength of 28.85 MPa. Furthermore, the ANSYS results showed a maximum deformation of 0.60887 mm, a maximum equivalent elastic strain of 0.0018815, a minimum value of 1.0375 × 10^-10, a maximum equivalent stress of 22.27 MPa, a minimum of 1.3877 × 10^-5 MPa, and a velocity streamline of 14.97 m/s at 21 rad/s. The simulated stresses were well below the material's measured strength limits, indicating a safe design under the analysed conditions. The weight of the developed composite blade was 31% lower than that of a conventional aluminum blade.