Theoretical determination of the fiber volume fraction distribution for natural fiber fabric reinforced polymer composite

The present work attempts to understand the inter-relation between the spun yarn fiber volume fraction and the fabric fiber volume fraction when adapted in the reinforced polymer composite. The yarn diameter of the natural fiber spun yarn has a great heterogeneity that affects the fiber volume fraction at the different basic units of the fabric. That in turn creates a rich fiber or rich polymer point in the final composite, resulting in the composite with varied reinforcement which has a crucial impact on the stress transfer between yarns and matrix and the composite fracture mechanism. The model was developed to express the effect of the lay out of the yarns in warp and weft directions with their real measured diameters. The fiber volume fraction of each basic weave unit was targeted to calculate the minimum, average, and maximum values of the fabric's fiber volume fraction distribution. The developed model predicts of the effect of yarn fiber volume fraction and warp and weft densities for weave fabric on its final fabric volume fraction, taking into consideration the actual variation of the yarn diameter along its length, to accomplish suitable structural performance for a composite material.