IntroductiontoComposite MaterialsandStructures

NachiketaTiwari IndianInstituteofTechnologyKanpur

Lecture29 FailureofUnidirectionalComposites

FailureofUnidirectionalLayerUnder LongitudinalCompression
Whenaunidirectionallaminaissubjectedtoincreasingcompressiveforce inlongitudinaldirection,itcanfailindifferentmodes.Thesefailuremodes are:
Tensilefailureintransversedirection Microbucklingoffiberswhilematrixisstillelastic Microbuckling goffibersonly yaftermatrixhasy yieldedandhasdebonded withfibers Shearfailure

Microbucklingoffiberswhilematrixisstillelastic:Thisfailuremode typicallyoccursespeciallywhenfibervolumefractionisverylow.
Insuchacase,individualcontinuouslongfibersactasverylongandslendercolumns, supportedthroughouttheirlengthonanelasticfoundation foundation. Insuchasituation,whenfibersarecompressedbeyondathreshold,theybuckleat relativelylowvaluesofexternalcompressiveload,becausethetransversesupport offeredby ymatrixisnotsignificant g asitsmodulusisvery ylowvisvisthatoffibers. Thus,insuchcases,microbucklingfibersoccurs,whilematrixisstillelastic.

MicrobucklingofFibers
Microbucklingoffibersprecededbymatrixyieldinganddebonding:When fibervolumefractionismoderateorhigh,thenthesupportofferedbythe matrixintransversedirectionbecomessignificant.Thisisbecausethe transversemodulusofcompositeisappreciablyhigherthanofpurematrix material.
Insuchacase,matrixbeginstoyield. Thisisfollowedbydebonding ofthematrixfiberinterface,ormicrocrackingofmatrix material. Oncedebonding g ormicrocracking goccursinmatrix, ,thelateralsupport pp offeredby ymatrix islost,andfibersundergomicrobuckling.

Twoadjacentfibersinaunidirectionalcompositeundercompressionmay eitherbuckleinasortofcooperativewayorindependentofeachother. Thisisdiscussedfurther.

MicrobucklingofFibers
ConsiderFig.29.1.Herefouradjacentfibershavebuckledinawaysuch thattransversedeformationsofaparticularfiberisoppositeinsignasthat ofadjacentfiber.Insuchacase,thematrixmaterialbetweentwofibersis exhibitspredominantlyextensional strains,i.e.thestrainsareeither compressive,ortensileinnature.Microbucklingofthismodeiscommonly knownasextensionmodemicrobuckling. Next,considerFig.29.2.Herefouradjacentfibershavebuckledinaway suchthattransversedeformationsofaparticularfiberaresameinsignas thatofadjacentfiber.Insuchacase,thematrixmaterialbetweentwo fibersisexhibitspredominantlyshear strains,i.e.thestrainsareeither compressive,ortensileinnature.Microbucklingofthismodeiscommonly knownasshearmodemicrobuckling.

MicrobucklingofFibers
Extensionmodemicrobucklingtypicallyoccursincomposites,whichhave verylowfibervolumefraction.Insuchunidirectionalcomposites,the distancebetweentwoadjacentfibersisfairlylarge. Shearmodemicrobucklingtypicallyoccursincomposites,whichhavevery moderate d t orhigh hi hfiber fib volume l fraction. f ti Insuchunidirectionalcomposites,thedistancebetweentwoadjacent fibersissmall,andthus,transversedeformationofonefiberhasa significantinfluenceonthatoftheadjacentfiber.

Microbuckling gofFibers

Fig. 29.1:ExtensionalModeFiberMicro BucklinginUnidirectionalLamina UnderLongitudinalCompression

Fig. 29.2:ShearModeFiberMicro BucklinginUnidirectionalLamina UnderLongitudinalCompression

MicrobucklingofFibers
Significantworkhasbeendonetocalculatelongitudinalcompressive strengthofunidirectionallaminatriggeredbydifferentfailure mechanisms. Ithasbeenfoundthattheoreticalcalculationsforthisstrength,as performed f d b byR Rosenwho h used dmicrobuckling i b kli event tasfailure f il point i tfor f the th composite,areinsignificantdisagreementwithmeasuredvalues. Incontrast,ifmatrixdebonding isusedasthefailureinitiationpointfor calculatinglongitudinalcompressivestrength,thenconsequentialfailure criteriaisingoodagreementwithexperimentalobservations. observations

TransverseTensileFailure
Asmentionedearlier, earlier transversetensilefailureisanotherimportant failuremodeforunidirectionallaminasubjectedtocompressivestressin fiberdirection. Insuchacase,theunidirectionalcompressiveforcecausestensilestrains intransversedirectionduetoPoissonratioeffect. Ifthevalueofthistransversetensilestrainexceedstheultimate transversestrain i capability bili of flamina, l i cracks k develop d l atfiber fib matrix i interface,whichpropagateinfiberdirectiontocausecompositefailure. ThisisshowninFig.29.3.

Fig. g 29.3:Transversetensile failureinacomposite specimencausingcracksat matrixfiberinterface

ShearFailure
Insomecases,unidirectionallaminafailsinshearwhensubjectedto compressive i l loads. d S Such h a f failure il mode d i isd depicted i t d i inFi Fig.29 29.4. 4 Suchafailuremodetypicallyhappens,whenfibervolumefractionsare veryhigh,andfibersareverywellalignedtodirectionofloading.Insucha case,thefailureofcompositecanbedirectlycorrelatedtoshearfailureof fibers. fibers

Fig.29.4:Unidirectional compositeunderhigh compressionmayfailundershear especiallyiffibervolumefraction ishigh.

R f References
1. Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Agarwal, B D and B.D. d Broutman, B t L J., L. J John J h Wiley Wil & Sons. S Mechanics M h i of f Composite C i Materials, M i l Jones, J R M., R. M Mc M Graw G Hill. Engineering Mechanics of Composite Materials, Daniel, I. M and Ishai, M. Ishai O., O Oxford University Press. Press

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