Analytical modeling and experimental validation of the low-velocity impact response of hemp and hemp/glass thermoset composites

Natural fiber composites have the potential to be widely applied as an alternative to or in combination with glass fiber composites in sustainable energy-absorbing structures. This study investigates the behavior of hemp fiber-reinforced vinylester composites when subjected to low-velocity impact loading by using an instrumented falling weight impact equipment. Different stacking sequences are tested, including a hybrid pattern resulting from a combination of natural and traditional glass fibers. Both penetration and indentation tests are performed. In the light of an increase in safety of green composite components and systems subjected to low-velocity impacts, next to the numerical models, the development of theoretical models is also useful and low time-consuming. Therefore, analytical models, available in the literature for traditional fiber-reinforced plastics and aimed at predicting the critical load of delamination onset, the indentation as a function of absorbed energy, as well as the approximation of the load-displacement curve, are used and implemented in this work. Good agreement was found between the theoretical predictions and experimental results.