Fracture parameters of woven jute fibre reinforced axial flow fan blade material: an experimental investigation and FEA analysis

Airflow required for the heat and mass transfer in industrial applications is often provided by axial flow fans. Glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) are most often used to make these fan blades. The usage of glass fibres in composite materials is growing. By 2025, the global market for glass fibres will be worth 16.5 billion pounds. However, non-biodegradable composite reinforcement has major ecological and human health concerns, especially when reaching the end of its operational lifespan. Until now, industries have shown a strong inclination to use GFRP without adequately contemplating the potential consequences associated with their disposal. The economic viability of glass fibre recycling is questionable. However, natural fibres like jute and fibres extracted from vegetable plants are of much popular among academics and researchers due to their sustainability and ease of use. So, they're suitable for making polymer composites. The amount of natural fibres that may be added to GFRP composites without materially altering their mechanical characteristics is a crucial factor in improving their decreased embodied emissions and biodegradability after service life. In this work the material C1 represents an 18-ft axial flow fan blade material made of GFRP. This study used the term C1 denotes the specific material utilised in the fabrication of 18-feet axial flow fan blades for industrial purposes. By substituting one layer of C1 with woven jute and changing its position in it, the materials C2 through C6 are produced. All the materials are tested for fracture parameters like plane strain fracture toughness (K1C) and Critical strain energy release rate (G1C) as per ASTM D-5045. The results were validated by using finite element models implemented in a commercially available software ANSYS R19.2. The optimal layup sequence for fan blade material with single-layer woven jute reinforcement was found, which preserves fracture properties, also improves biodegradability after service life.