A STUDY OF MECHANISMS OF STRESS TRANSFER IN CONTINUOUS-FIBER AND DISCONTINUOUS-FIBER MODEL COMPOSITES BY LASER RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY

The micromechanics of stress transfer in single-fibre/epoxy-resin model composites has been investigated. Two specimen geometries are examined incorporating both continuous and discontinuous fibres in epoxy resin blocks. In both cases, the point-by-point strain in the fibre is measured from the fibre Raman spectrum and its strain dependence. The continuous-fibre model composites (CFMC) are subjected to incremental tensile loading and the fibre fragmentation process is continuously monitored. The short-fibre model composites (SFMC) are loaded incrementally to levels of stress of sufficient magnitude to cause interfacial failure and the fibre strain profiles are obtained at each level of applied stress. In addition to fibre strain measurements, the interfacial shear stress distribution is derived at each increment of applied stress by means of a balance-of-forces argument. The effects of fibre surface treatment and fibre modulus on the strain transfer profile and the distribution of the interfacial shear stress along the fibre are examined. The importance of parameters such as fibre/matrix debonding and interphase yielding in the vicinity of fibre breaks or fibre ends is discussed.