STRENGTH OF COMPOSITES WITH LONG-ALIGNED FIBERS - FIBER-FIBER AND FIBER-CRACK INTERACTION

This paper presents a finite element formulation of elasticity to mode l elastic fracture in composites with long aligned fibers. We have emp loyed a B-bar type approach which is applicable to compressible as wel l as nearly incompressible material systems. An energy approach is und ertaken to evaluate the stress intensity factor at the crack tip. The effects of strong intact bridging fibers, fibers ahead of the crack ti p, and that of temperature variation on the reduction in stress intens ity factor at the crack tip have been investigated. Various numerical results are presented to show fiber-fiber and fiber-crack interaction. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.