Longitudinal Compressive Failure of Multiple-Fiber Model Composites for a Unidirectional Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic

The longitudinal compressive failure of a unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) was studied using multiple-fiber model composites. Aligned carbon fibers were embedded in an epoxy matrix and put on a rectangular beam. A compression test of the model composite was performed by means of a four point bending test of the rectangular beam. The number of carbon fibers was changed from one to several thousands, by which the effect on compressive failure modes was investigated. A compressive failure of a single-fiber model composite was fiber crush. The fiber crush strain was much higher than the compressive failure strain of the unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastic. By contrast, a compressive failure of a multiple-fiber model composite was kink-band. The longitudinal compressive failure mechanism shifted from fiber crush to kink-band due to an increasing number of fibers. Kink-band parameters i.e. kink-band angle and kink-band width were dependent on the number of closely-aligned carbon fibers.