Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of stress redistribution in the presence of a fiber fracture in a composite lamina. Stress elevation in the fiber adjacent to the broken fiber is the focus of this study. The stress concentration effects in the vicinity of the fiber break and its influence on the neighboring intact fiber is analyzed using the finite element method as a function of fiber volume fraction. The role of the inelastic behavior of the matrix in causing the stress elevation is studied. It is found that the state of stress in the intact fiber is affected significantly by the propagation of the plastic front due to matrix yielding. The local stress field is affected also if the fiber break is followed by interfacial debonding. Titanium matrix reinforced with continuous fibers of silicon carbide is chosen as the metal matrix composite system for this study. Experimental comparisons are made with tension tests conducted using a single-ply lamina.

References

1.
Chou
,
T. W.
, “
Microstructural Design of Fiber Composites
,”
Cambridge University Press
,
Cambridge, U.K.
,
1991
.
2.
Rosen
,
B. W.
, “
Tensile Failure of Fibrous Composites
,”
AIAA Journal
, Vol.
2
, No.
11
,
1968
, pp.
1985
-
1991
.
3.
Zweben
,
C.
, “
Tensile Failure of Fiber Composites
,”
AIAA Journal
, Vol.
6
,
1968
, p. 2325.
4.
Gao
,
Z.
,
Reifsnider
,
K. L.
, and
Carman
,
G.
, “
Strength Prediction and Optimization of Composites with Statistical Fiber Flaw Distributions
,”
Journal of Composite Materials
, Vol.
26
,
1992
, pp.
1678
-
1705
.
5.
Goda
,
K.
and
Fukunaga
,
H.
, “
Evaluation of the Tensile Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Metal Matrix Composites by Monte-Carlo Simulation
,”
Proceedings, Second International Conference on Computational Stochastic Mechanics
,
1995
, pp.
307
-
313
.
6.
Liangbo
,
D.
and
Fuqun
,
F.
, “
Statistical Analysis of Failure of Unidirectionally Fibre-Reinforced Composites with Local Load-Sharing
,”
International Journal of Fracture
, Vol.
59
, No.
1
,
1993
, pp.
69
-
81
.
7.
Chandra
,
N.
and
Ananth
,
C. R.
, “
Analysis of Interfacial Behavior in MMCs and IMCs Using Thin-slice Push-out Tests
,”
Composites Science and Technology
, Vol.
54
, No.
1
,
1995
, pp.
87
-
100
.
8.
Chandra
,
N.
,
Ananth
,
C. R.
, and
Garmestani
,
H.
, “
Micromechanical Modeling of Process Induced Residual Stresses in Ti-24Al-11Nb/SCS-6 Composite
,”
Journal of Composites Technology and Research
, Vol.
16
, No.
1
,
1994
, pp.
37
-
46
.
9.
Majumdar
,
B. S.
and
Newaz
,
G. M.
, “
Inelastic Deformation of Metal Matrix Composites: Plasticity and Damage Mechanisms
,”
Philosophical Magazine A
, Vol.
66
, No.
2
,
1992
, pp.
187
-
212
.
10.
Nicholas
,
T.
and
Ahmad
,
J.
Modeling Fiber Breakage in a Metal-Matrix Composite
,”
Composites Science and Technology
, Vol.
52
,
1994
, pp.
29
-
38
.
11.
Iremongor
,
M. J.
and
Wood
,
W. G.
,
Journal of Strain Analysis
, Vol.
5
,
1970
, pp.
212
-
222
.
12.
He
,
M. Y.
,
Evans
,
A. G.
, and
Curtin
,
W. A.
, “
The Ultimate Tensile Strength of Metal and Ceramic-Matrix Interfaces
,”
Acta Metallurgica et Materialia
, Vol.
41
, No.
3
,
1993
, pp.
871
-
878
.
13.
Majumdar
,
B. S.
, “
Interfaces in Metal Matrix Composites
,”
Titanium Matrix Composites
, Eds.
S.
Mall
and
T.
Nicholas
,
1997
, pp.
113
-
168
.
Technomic Publications
,
Lancaster, PA
, 1997.
14.
MARC Analysis Corporation
,
Palo Alto, CA
,
MARC Version: K6, User Manuals
,
1995
.
15.
Mital
,
S. K.
,
Caruso
,
J. J.
, and
Chamis
,
C. C.
, “
Metal Matrix Microfracture: Computational Simulation
,”
Computers and Structures
, Vol.
37
, No.
2
,
1990
, pp.
141
-
150
.
16.
Majumdar
,
B. S.
,
Matikas
,
T. E.
, and
Miracle
,
D. B.
, “
Experiments and Analysis of Fiber Fragmentationing Single and Multiple Fiber SiC/Ti-6Al-4V MMCs
,”
Composites
, Vol.
29
, No.
2
,
1998
, pp.
131
-
139
.
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.