Analysis of the single-fibre fragmentation test.

This work investigates the analysis and experimental protocol of the single-fibre fragmentation test. The possible interpretations of this test were first reviewed, several strength or energy-based models being available in the literature. AN extensive screening study was carried out to determine the optimal geometry and test conditions of single-fibre fragmentation testpieces. The results of these tests, together with a modelling of the fragmentation process, revealed that the widely used interpretation of this test is inappropriate when describing the essential features of interface failure. Instead, local stress or energy analysis should be used. One particular limitation of existing models is their poor description of the stress field at low volume fractions. In this work, a simple, closed-form, shear-lag based model was chosen to describe the distributions of the axial stress in the fibre and the interfacial shear stress. It simplified to a great extent the modelling and simulation work. While approximate, this method enables a quantitative assessment of the quality of the inferface in carbon fibre and glass fibre epoxy single fibre composites. Finally, limitations and possible extensions of this study were outlined.