Matrix-fiber stress transfer in composite materials elasto-plastic model with an interphase layer

The matrix-fiber stress transfer in glass/epoxy composite materials was studied using analytical and experimental methods. The mathematical model that was developed calculates the stress fields in the fiber, interphase, and neighboring matrix near a fiber break. This scheme takes into account the elastic-plastic behavior of both the matrix and the interphase, and it includes the treatment of stress concentration near the discontinuities of the fibers. The radius of the fibers and the mechanical properties of the matrix were varied in order to validate the mathematical model. The computed values for the lengths of debonding, plastic deformation, and elastic deformation in the matrix near the fiber tip were confirmed by measurements taken under polarized light on loaded and unloaded single fiber samples. The fiber-fiber interaction was studied experimentally using dog-bone samples that contained seven fibers forming an hexagonal pattern.