Energy Absorption of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP)-Woven Composites in Different Nano Clay Loading Using Numerical Method

In this work, the numerical investigation for impact behavior of GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics) composite along modified with nano-clay (Cloisite® 20B) at 0.5%wt., 1%wt., and 2%wt concentrations was done. The finite element analysis was carried out in ABAQUS/Explicit to investigate the low-velocity impact response. The numerical results showed that adding 0.5% wt. and 1%wt. nano-clay significantly increased the stiffness of GFRP compared to a pristine one. In contrast, adding 2%wt nano-clay decreased the stiffness of GFRP. With regard of energy absorption, a 0.5%wt. nano-clay modified GFRP showed a maximum energy absorption, whereas, a 2 %wt. nano-clay modified GFRP exhibited the lowest performance for all impact energy levels.