Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre

composites

At the end of this lecture you will have an understanding

of:

 Shear lag model

 Stress and strain distribution

 Stiffness

 Onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 1
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model

o Most widely used model describing the effect of
loading an aligned short-fibre composite
o Based on transfer of tensile stress from matrix to
fibre by means of interfacial shear stresses

2024-11-25 2
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model

2024-11-25 3
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

o Radial variation of shear stress in matrix T (at a
given axial distance x from the fibre mid-point) is
obtained by equating the shear forces on
neighbouring annuli (with radii r1, r2 of length dx

2 𝜋 𝑟 1 𝜏 1 𝑑𝑥=¿

𝜏1 𝑟 2
=
𝜏2 𝑟 1

2024-11-25 4
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

o Therefore the shear stress in the matrix τ at any
radius ρ is related to that at the fibre/matrix
interface (radius r), τi by

𝜏 𝑟
=
𝜏𝑖 𝜌

2024-11-25 5
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

o Strain field around fibre can be defined in terms of
displacement u of the matrix in the x direction,
relative to the position for no applied stress (Fig 6.1).
The increment of this displacement du on moving out
from the fibre axis by dρ is determined by the shear
strain γ, and hence by the shear modulus Gm
𝜏𝑖 𝑟
𝑑𝑢
𝑑𝜌
=𝛾=
𝜏
=
𝐺𝑚 𝐺𝑚 𝜌 ( )
2024-11-25 6
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model

2024-11-25 7
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

o For any given value of x, the difference between
the displacement of the matrix at a radius R and
that of the interface is given by a simple integration
𝑢𝑅
𝜏𝑖 𝑟 𝑅 𝑑 𝜌
∫ 𝑑𝑢= 𝐺 ∫ 𝜌
𝑢 𝑟
𝑚 𝑟

𝜏𝑖 𝑟
( 𝑢 𝑅 −𝑢 𝑟 ) =
𝐺𝑚
𝑙𝑛( )
𝑅
𝑟
2024-11-25 8
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions
o The matrix strain is assumed to be uniform remote from
the immediate vicinity of the fibre. The radius R
represents some far field location where this condition
becomes operative.
o In a composite containing an array of fibres the
appropriate value (R/r) is related to the proximity of
neighbouring fibres and hence to the fibre volume
fraction f, and the arrangement of fibres.
o Hexagonal: 2
𝜋𝑟
𝑓=
2 𝑅 √3
2

( )
2
𝑅 𝜋 1
=
2024-11-25
𝑟 2 𝑓 √3 𝑓 9
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions
o The build up of tensile stress in the fibre σf is
determined from the distribution of interfacial shear
stress (fig 6.1.c). Basic force balance:
2
2 𝜋 𝑟𝑑𝑥 𝜏 𝑖 =− 𝜋 𝑟 𝑑 𝜎 𝑓
𝑑 𝜎𝑓 2 𝜏𝑖
=−
𝑑𝑥 𝑟
o Assumption, no shear strain in the fibre and interfacial
adhesion is perfect (ur=uf) and with substitution in slide
8 by
𝐸𝑚 𝑑 𝜎𝑓 2 𝐸𝑚 ( 𝑢 𝑅 −𝑢 𝑓 )
𝐺𝑚 = =−
2 ( 1+𝜈𝑚 ) , 𝑑𝑥 2
( 1+𝜈 𝑚 ) 𝑟 𝑙𝑛 ( 1/ 𝑓 )

2024-11-25 10
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

o We do not know the displacements but we can
assume that:
𝑑𝑢𝑓 𝜎𝑓
=𝜀 𝑓 =
𝑑𝑥 𝐸𝑓

𝑑 𝑢𝑅
=𝜀 𝑚 𝜀
𝑑𝑥

2024-11-25 11
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

2024-11-25 12
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

2024-11-25 13
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress and strain distributions

2024-11-25 14
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, stress transfer length

o We can talk of minimum fibre length in which the
load is fully transferred to the fibers (the plateau
builds up): stress transfer length
o We can also identified the stress transfer aspect ratio

St as that exhibited by fibres in which the peak stress

closely approaches the maximum possible strain
equal to the composite one.

2024-11-25 15
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress transfer length, stress transfer
aspect ratio

cosh ( 0 ) sech ( 𝑛𝑠 ) ≪ 1withcosh ( 0 )=1

and sech ( 𝑛𝑠 )=1/cosh ( 𝑛𝑠 ) ≪ 1
We can chose 0.1<<1 hence cosh ( 𝑛𝑠 ) ≥ 10
st~3/n
N is typically 0.1 for polymer matrix composite and 0.4 for
metal matrix composites so st is 30 and 7
In ceramic matrix composite n~1 but load transfer is rarely
the purpose.

2024-11-25 16
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress transfer length

2024-11-25 17
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, stress transfer length

2024-11-25 18
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, transfer of normal stress across fibre
ends
o Clyne assumed that σe be set equal to the average
of the peak fibre stress and the remote matrix
stress values predicted by the standard shear lag
model
𝜎 𝑓 0 + 𝜎𝑚0
𝜎 𝑒=
2
In which σf0 is given by having x=0 in slide 13 and σm0 is
Emεm.
So

2024-11-25 19
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites

 Shear lag model, transfer of normal stress across fibre

ends
o With the new boundary conditions σf = σe at x=±L

2024-11-25 20
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, transfer of normal stress across fibre
ends

2024-11-25 21
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 22
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 23
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 24
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 25
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 26
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 27
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, prediction of stiffness

2024-11-25 28
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 29
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 30
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 31
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 32
 Lecture 5: Elastic Deformation of short-fibre
composites
 Shear lag model, onset of inelastic behaviour

2024-11-25 33