Fibre reinforced composites are widely used in many structural applications
where their mechanical performances are of primary importance. The stiffness
and the strength of composites is dependent upon the mechanical properties
of the constituents, but also upon the stress transfer processes occurring
at the fibre/matrix interface.
We present here an applet to simulate such stress transfer mechanisms in simplified model configurations and to show their effects upon the macroscopic stress/strain behaviour of the material. Using basic stress transfer models (Cox, Kelly-Tyson), the stress profiles within the fibres are calculated at the micromechanical level as a function of the elastic properties of the constituents, the aspect ratio of the fibers and the fiber volume fraction.The corresponding strain/stress curve are plotted for different kinds of composites including polymer matrix composites, metal matrix composites and ceramic matrix composites. The understanding of this Applet just requires some basic knowledge of mechanics of materials. |
