Viscoelastic Characteristics in Fragmentation Tests of Carbon Fiber and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene Composites

Abstract

The fragmentation tests estimate the fiber-matrix interfacial shear strength based on the number of fiber breaks in the single-fiber composites induced by stretching. In our previous work, a method to estimate fiber strength and interfacial shear strength by analyzing the results of the fragmentation tests was developed. In the present study, this method is applied to estimate the fiber strength and interfacial shear strength of carbon fiber and glass fiber reinforced polypropylene composites. A viscoelastic model has also been proposed, explaining the phenomenon whereby fiber continues to break at a fixed length of the composites after they are stretched.