Widely-used methods for characterising the fibre/matrix interface in polymeric composites are the fragmentation test and the droplet test as a special kind of the single-fibre pull-out test. A severe disadvantage of these tests is that non-realistic model samples are investigated which contain only one fibre in the matrix. In order to obtain data about the effect of the different residual stress situations for fibres in such samples and in composites, pull-out tests of E-glass fibres in polystyrene and polycarbonate are performed using samples, where the investigated fibre is surrounded by 0 to 3 other near fibres. Neighbouring fibres can increase the pull-out forces by a factor of three and the interfacial toughness by a factor of four. This has to be taken into account, if the tests are performed not only for comparison reasons but for measuring interface properties.
The debonding of a fiber in a glass fiber / epoxy composite under transverse loading
is analysed. The stress field in the interface as well as the energy release rate are
analysed for various fiber volume fractions between 5% and 85%. The circumferential
propagation of an interface crack in a hexagonal fiber array is studied. The analysis
is performed by a finite element simulation under plane stress conditions. The
stress distribution during crack propagation is calculated for different crack phases.
The crack starts under dominating mode I stresses. After propagating some 60° the
mode II part reaches a maximum while the mode I part vanishes and the crack
closes. The further crack propagation is driven by mode II stresses only. In addition,
the stress transfer into the neighbouring fibers during debonding is studied.
The failure of fiber reinforced composites under transverse loading is investigated on a
representative volume element. The volume element is composed of a twelve fiber hexagonal
array. The debonding of the central fiber is studied under transverse shear as well as under
transverse compressive loading by calculating the mode I and mode II part of the energy
release rate. The initiation of failure is assumed to take place at the location of maximum
tensile or maximum shear stresses, respectively. In order to determine the failure initiation
point, the stress field in the interface before crack initiation is calculated.