Numerical evaluation of J-integral and crack tip opening displacement of biopolymer composite

This study investigates the influence of banana fibre particle reinforcement on the fracture behaviour of biopolymer composites under Mode I loading using the J-integral approach. The fracture response was analysed for three distinct fibre particle sizes. A two-dimensional compact tension specimen was modelled and analysed using ABAQUS finite element software. For each particle size, six different initial crack lengths were considered. The results indicate that the biopolymer composite reinforced with 150 µm particles exhibits the lowest J-integral values, whereas the 65 µm reinforced composite shows higher J-integral values than the 300 µm reinforced composite. This suggests that the 150 µm reinforced biopolymer demonstrates superior resistance to fracture initiation, which is attributed to its higher Young’s modulus. Furthermore, among the three composites investigated, the 150 µm reinforced material also exhibits the lowest crack tip opening displacement (CTOD), indicating enhanced resistance to crack initiation. For all particle sizes, both the J-integral and CTOD increase with increasing initial crack length, while the stress level at locations away from the crack tip remains relatively stable. Overall, this study provides a comparative assessment of the fracture resistance of banana fibre particle-reinforced biopolymer composites, contributing to a better understanding of particle size effects on fracture performance.