Fracture of Fibre-Reinforced Composites

A theoretical model of stress transfer between a transversal isotropic fibre and the surrounding matrix material in a uniaxially fibre-reinforced composite near a single matrix flaw is discussed including friction controlled fibre-matrix interface debonding and fibre sliding. In the context with incorrect concepts in literature a model of random local fibre fracture is proposed that incorporates the failure rate func­ tion to describe the spatial distribution of fibre breaks. The rise of fracture toughness due to frictional fibre pullout is studied accounting for Weibull strength distribution of fibres. The total dissipative work is taken as figure of merit regarding the damage tolerance. It may be recognized as an appropriate tool to optimize fibre composites. Numerical results are demonstrated.