Numerical studies of fibrous composites from the view point of fiber-matrix interface and fiber-matrix bonding

In the present research, the micromechanics of fibrous composites was studied numerically. The effects of the fiber/matrix interphase region and fiber/matrix bonding were the main goals of this research. Throughout the research NASTRAN finite element analyses were used. First we investigated the effect of the interphase region on the stress field by varying the thickness of the interphase region and the material properties in the interphase region. Second, we numerically simulated the bonding qualities between the fiber and the matrix by the implementation of the fiber/matrix interphase region. The change for bonding between the fiber and the matrix were simulated through a periodic material property change in the interphase region. Third, we developed a bi-dimensional concentric cylindrical model for stress transfer between the fiber and the matrix model in case of a broken fiber or short fiber composites. This model is unique in accounting for the real non-linear stress-strain relationship for the matrix material. The stress transfer between the fiber and the matrix was also analyzed by finite element models. Toward this end finite element analysis proved a useful tool to help us evaluate key model parameters, most importantly the radius of fiber influence. This parameter is also a key parameter of simple models upon which the new model is based. Finally we applied our stress transfer model to analyze single fiber fragmentation test data obtained at Kansas State University.