Numerical analysis of fiber fragmentation in a SiC/A1 single-fiber composite specimen

In this paper, a numerical analysis by the finite-element method was carrie d out to simulate the fiber-fragmentation process in a single-fiber composi te (SFC) specimen. The objective is to understand the fiber-fracture proces s and the way in which this process is affected by the fiber/matrix interfa ce properties. In the analysis, the fiber strength is described by a Weibul l distribution, the aluminum matrix is assumed to be elastic/plastic with a linear hardening law, and the fiber/matrix interface is modeled by an elas tic/perfectly-plastic spring layer. In addition to the stress and strain di stributions in the SFC, the evolution of fiber fractures and the stress/str ain curves under monotonic loading were obtained through a sequence of fini te-element computations with decreasing size of unit cell. The results indi cate that the saturation length of the fiber fragments is very sensitive to the fiber/matrix interfacial strength. Therefore, it might be used as an i ndicator to measure the in situ fiber/matrix interfacial bond strength. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.