Sustainable Elastomeric Composites for Impact Absorption: A Combined Experimental and Mesoscale Finite Element Study

In this work, novel sustainable green elastomeric composites have been manufactured and evaluated in terms of their impact-absorbent properties. The composites studied in this research were fabricated using a natural rubber matrix and kenaf fabrics arranged in 2-layer and 4-layer configurations. They were then subjected to dynamic and quasi-static lateral loading to determine their force-displacement diagrams, perforation energy, and damage mechanisms. The experimental tests used a hemispherical tip impactor with a diameter of 20 mm. Experimental tests were performed at velocities ranging from approximately 1.6 × 10–3 to 3 m/s to examine the effect of strain rate on these composites. This study’s findings indicate the significant impact of loading rate on the characteristics of elastomeric composites. A mesoscale finite element model was implemented in LS-DYNA numerical code to understand elastomeric composite components’ behavior better, reduce costs, and avoid time-consuming experiments. In the simulation of the presented composite elastomeric matrix, the simplified rubber and foam material model (MAT_181) was used, which has the ability to depend on the strain rate of hyperelastic materials. Finally, parametric studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of loading velocity and Young’s modulus of fibers on elastomeric composites’ behavior, damage mechanisms, and energy absorption.