MODES OF FAILURE IN FIBER REINFORCEMENT COMPOSITES Fibers are the principal load-carrying members, while the surrounding matrix

keeps them in the desired location and orientation, acts as a load transfer medium between them, and protects them from environmental damages due to elevated temperatures and humidity etc. Thus, even though the fibers provide reinforcement for the matrix, the latter also serves a number of useful function s in a fiber -reinforced composite material.

Modes of failure: For a body under the application of an arbitrary stress state the three most important modes of failure are; Axial tensile failure Transverse tensile failure Shear failure 01. Axial tensile Failure:

Fig 2.01: Axial tensile failure

It is assumed that both the fibers and matrix deform elastically and subsequently undergo brittle fracture. There are two cases of failure a) The matrix has the lower failure b) The fiber has the lower failure strain

a) The matrix has the lower failure strain When the strain reaches ultimate failure strain of the matrix, the matrix undergoes micro cracking and the load is progressively transferred to the fibers as cracking continues. During this stage there is little increase in composite stress with increasing strain. With further crack growth, if the entire load is transferred to the fibers before fiber fracture. If the fibers fail before the entire load is transferred onto them the composite strength is just the weighted average of the failure stress of the matrix, the matrix failure stress and the fiber stress at the onset of matrix cracking. b) The fiber has the lower failure strain When the strain reaches ultimate failure strain in fiber, the fibers fail. Beyond this point the load is progressively transferred to the matrix as the fibers fracture into shorter lengths. Assuming that the fibers bear no load when their aspect ratios are below the critical aspect ratio which is the critical ratio of the fiber length to its diameter below which the fiber cannot undergo any further fracture, and then composite failure occurs at an applied stress. Alternatively, if the matrix fracture takes place while the fibers are still bearing some load, i.e. the fiber aspect ratio is more than the critical value, then the composite failure stress is the weighted average of the fiber failure stress, and the matrix stress at the onset of fiber fracture.

02. Transverse tensile failure:

Fig 2.02: Transverse tensile failure

The presence of fibers reduces the transverse strength and the failure strain significantly relative to the unreinforced matrix. This observed tendency is largely due to high local stresses and strains around the fiber / matrix interface due to differences in the Young's Module of the two components. Because of that composites get fail

03. Shear failure

Fig 2.03: Shear Failure

When structural elements are subjected to compressive loads, the shear forces and stresses induced by second order effects may lead to shear failure prior to compressive failure this is particularly likely to occur in the case of glass fiber reinforced polymer profiles which normally exhibits low shear strength on relation to compressive strength.