Hybrid glass-carbon fiber composites for solar greenhouse dryer trays: a 3D computational analysis

Abstract

A 3D computational study was conducted to analyze the compressive load response of a glass-carbon hybrid composite. The study varied the volume percentage of glass fibers from 0% to 100% in a composite with an overall fiber volume fraction of 0.5. Compressive instability failure was examined using ABAQUS/CAE 3D finite element micro mechanical models. The analysis assessed the behavior of glass and carbon fiber models independently before evaluating the performance of the hybrid composite.The results revealed that hybrid models exhibited superior performance at specific volume fractions. It was observed that the matrix shear yield strength played a significant role in determining compressive instability failure. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that hybrid composite turnable trays enhanced moisture removal and heat transmission during drying processes. These trays were found to be particularly suitable for outdoor solar greenhouses owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and dimensional stability.

Keywords:

• Hybrid composite
• finite element analysis
• glass fibers
• carbon fibers
• solar greenhouse dryers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors’ contribution

All the authors have contributed equally to the work.

Data availability statement

Data generated and analyzed during this study are provided in Table 4.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.