Multi-Objective Optimization of Carbonized False Banana Fiber/Fe₃O₄ Hybrid Composites for Lightweight Broadband Electromagnetic Absorption in UAV Applications
- 1Department of Aerospace Engineering, Space Science and Geo-Spatial Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 33679/597, Ethiopia
- 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 16417, Ethiopia
- 3Department of Mechanical Engineering (Well Engineering), International College of Engineering and Management, C.P.O Seeb, Muscat 111, Oman
Abstract
Nowadays, carbonized natural fiber composites are sustainable alternatives for electromagnetic wave absorption in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, achieving a balance between electromagnetic performance, structural thickness, and weight is still difficult. This study, therefore, presents a multi-objective optimization framework for designing a lightweight radar-absorbing multilayer composite using a carbonized false banana fiber/Fe₃O₄ hybrid absorber. In this work, a four-layer sandwich panel was modeled in SOLIDWORKS 2017 and analyzed using full-wave electromagnetic simulation in ANSYS HFSS (R18.1) over the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. Layer thicknesses were optimized using a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm with three objectives: maximizing the frequency-averaged power absorptivity, minimizing panel mass, and minimizing total thickness. The objectives were handled simultaneously through Pareto dominance without predefined weighting coefficients, and a compromise solution was selected from the resulting Pareto-optimal set. The selected Pareto compromise was subsequently adjusted considering practical layer-thickness and manufacturability requirements, resulting in a 2/5/2/1 mm multilayer configuration with a total thickness of 10 mm. The resulting configuration achieved frequency-averaged power absorptivities of 0.6756 over 2–18 GHz and 0.8289 within the Ku-band, together with an effective absorption bandwidth of 3.2 GHz for power absorptivity above 90%. A minimum reflection coefficient magnitude of 0.0230 (corresponding to a peak power absorptivity of 99.95% at resonance) was obtained, with a minimum reflection loss of −32.75 dB. The optimized panel achieved a mass of 0.1725 kg, corresponding to a modest 1.42% reduction relative to an equal-footprint, equal-thickness monolithic carbon-fiber reference panel. These numerical results show the potential of combining a biomass-derived absorber with multi-objective optimization for the preliminary design of UAV-oriented radar-absorbing multilayer structures.
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BibTeX
@article{gebremichael2026multiobjective,
title = {{Multi-Objective Optimization of Carbonized False Banana Fiber/Fe₃O₄ Hybrid Composites for Lightweight Broadband Electromagnetic Absorption in UAV Applications}},
author = {Michael A. Gebremichael and Belete S. Yigezu and Girma T. Chala},
journal = {Solids},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/solids7050050},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/solids7050050},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multi-Objective Optimization of Carbonized False Banana Fiber/Fe₃O₄ Hybrid Composites for Lightweight Broadband Electromagnetic Absorption in UAV Applications
AU - Michael A. Gebremichael
AU - Belete S. Yigezu
AU - Girma T. Chala
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Solids
DO - 10.3390/solids7050050
UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/solids7050050
AB - Nowadays, carbonized natural fiber composites are sustainable alternatives for electromagnetic wave absorption in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, achieving a balance between electromagnetic performance, structural thickness, and weight is still difficult. This study, therefore, presents a multi-objective optimization framework for designing a lightweight radar-absorbing multilayer composite using a carbonized false banana fiber/Fe₃O₄ hybrid absorber. In this work, a four-layer sandwich panel was modeled in SOLIDWORKS 2017 and analyzed using full-wave electromagnetic simulation in ANSYS HFSS (R18.1) over the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. Layer thicknesses were optimized using a multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm with three objectives: maximizing the frequency-averaged power absorptivity, minimizing panel mass, and minimizing total thickness. The objectives were handled simultaneously through Pareto dominance without predefined weighting coefficients, and a compromise solution was selected from the resulting Pareto-optimal set. The selected Pareto compromise was subsequently adjusted considering practical layer-thickness and manufacturability requirements, resulting in a 2/5/2/1 mm multilayer configuration with a total thickness of 10 mm. The resulting configuration achieved frequency-averaged power absorptivities of 0.6756 over 2–18 GHz and 0.8289 within the Ku-band, together with an effective absorption bandwidth of 3.2 GHz for power absorptivity above 90%. A minimum reflection coefficient magnitude of 0.0230 (corresponding to a peak power absorptivity of 99.95% at resonance) was obtained, with a minimum reflection loss of −32.75 dB. The optimized panel achieved a mass of 0.1725 kg, corresponding to a modest 1.42% reduction relative to an equal-footprint, equal-thickness monolithic carbon-fiber reference panel. These numerical results show the potential of combining a biomass-derived absorber with multi-objective optimization for the preliminary design of UAV-oriented radar-absorbing multilayer structures.
SN - 2673-6497
ER -