Experimental and numerical investigation of the impact of hemp particle addition on the bending rate-dependent behavior and damage parameters of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene

This study explores a relatively under-researched area concerning the influence of loading rate on the flexural properties of particulate-filled bio-composites and the effects of incorporating natural particles on their damage parameters. To investigate these aspects, three-point flexural tests were conducted across a range of bending speeds from 0.1 mm/s to 10 mm/s. The material under study consisted of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) reinforced with hemp particles at varying contents (1-10 wt%). Additionally, the impact of hemp particle incorporation on the damage parameters of ABS was evaluated through cyclic loading-unloading tension tests. The flexural test results demonstrated a consistent increase in the flexural modulus of ABS with rising strain rates, irrespective of the hemp particle content. In contrast, the percentage reduction in flexural strength exhibited a diminishing trend as the bending rate increased. Findings from the cyclic loading-unloading tension tests further revealed that the addition of hemp particles intensifies the degradation of ABS's elastic modulus, with this effect becoming more pronounced at higher particle contents. Finite element simulations incorporating the experimentally determined damage parameters successfully reproduced the flexural load-displacement curves of the materials at different strain rates. These simulations corroborated the experimental findings and offered insights for optimizing material performance.