Effects of the Interfacial Slippage on the Transverse Elastic Moduli of Unidirectional Fiber Composites

Abstract

The analytical model for the fiber/matrix interfacial slippage, developed in the preceding paper, has been extended to the prediction of the transverse elastic moduli of the unidirectional fiber composite. The isotropic elasticity is assumed for both of the fiber and the matrix, and the theory of plane strain elastic field in the transverse cross-section of the fiber composite is applied. The effective transverse elastic moduli are formulated using the principle of minimum complementary energy. Numerical calculations are conducted for the transverse tensile moduli of a boron/aluminum composite and the theoretical results are compared with the existing experimental data. The analysis developed here can be applied to the prediction of the transverse tensile stress-strain relation, if the yield stress and the stiffness degradation after the yielding are provided for the matrix aluminum.