BENDING BEHAVIOR OF NATURAL COMPOSITES SIMPLY SUPPORTED RECTANGULAR BEAMS

Abstract

The central deflection of the composite simply supported beams is investigated in this research. Fiber glass as a synthetic fiber , jute as a natural fiber as well as the egg shell ,starch as a powder, and coarse corn and tiny corn as a grains with polyester as a matrix are used to study the difference between the behavior of each type . In addition to, the effect of the moisture absorption is considered, so that the test specimens are immersed in distilled water and H2SO4 for seven days .The results show that H2SO4 has a significant effect on the flexural behavior(increase the deflection) of the beam .This is due to the chemical reaction between the polyester and H2SO4. Also, the variation of the central deflection with time under constant load is investigated. Finally, from the load deflection relations the stiffness of each material is calculated as well as the modulus of elasticity are evaluated experimentally.