Simulation Study on Rice Husk Fibre - Recycled Polyethylene Composite for Electric Vehicle Floor Pan Insulation

Abstract

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle (EV) industry has increased the demand for lightweight and sustainable materials for vehicle applications. Conventional floor pan insulation materials are mainly made from petroleum-based materials such as polyurethane and fibreglass. These materials can increase vehicle weight, reduce energy efficiency and create environmental problems during production and disposal. To overcome these issues, this study investigates the thermal performance of a sustainable composite made from Rice Husk Fibre (RHF) and Recycled Polyethylene (RPE). The proposed material uses agricultural and plastic waste, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional insulation materials. A floor pan model consisting of a 1.2 mm aluminium sheet and a 5.0 mm insulation layer was developed using ANSYS Workbench. The thermal performance of the RHF-RPE composite was evaluated under two conditions. The first condition simulated normal vehicle operation, where the floor pan was exposed to a temperature of 60°C for 1800 s. The second condition simulated a battery thermal runaway event, where the floor pan was exposed to 600°C for 600 s. The simulation results showed that the RHF-RPE composite achieved an average temperature of 47.013°C under steady-state conditions and reduced heat transfer by 66.65% compared to pure polyethylene. In the transient analysis, the composite required 89.21 s to reach 46.5°C, indicating a slower rate of heat transfer than pure polyethylene and EVA foam. During the battery thermal runaway simulation, the cabin-side surface temperature remained at 25.0°C throughout the 600 s analysis period. These findings indicate that the RHF-RPE composite has good potential as a sustainable insulation material for electric vehicle floor pan applications.