Model for the Micro-Buckling/Micro-Kinking Compressive Response of Fiber-Reinforced Composites

This article focuses on the effects that non-uniform fiber spacings have on the compressive response of composites. The above type of imperfection is included in a model which incorporates initial fiber misalignments and accounts for non-linear shear response of the matrix and shear-deformable fibers. It is shown that the disparate response of fibers embedded within matrix layers of different thicknesses results in reduced levels of compressive strengths and leads to failure modes which contain discontinuities in the fiber shear strains.