Analytical study on the elastic-plastic transition in short fiber reinforced composites

In discontinuous composites, the fiber end effects can be neglected when the length of fiber is much greater compared to the diameter. Thus, conventional shear lag theory is very useful for predicting composite properties deduced from each constituent. However, in the case of short fiber or whisker reinforced composites, the end effects cannot be neglected, and the composite properties are functions of material and geometrical parameters since the fiber end effects significantly influence the behavior of composites. For a good understanding of the behavior of short fiber or whisker reinforced composites, it is necessary to first understand the mechanism of stress transfer and it has well been modified before. However, the modification was limited to the basic elastic stress calculation of the fiber and matrix in a micromechanical model. Accordingly, the former modification of the shear lag model has been extended to predict the overall elastic composite behavior and elastic-plastic behavior of which result can predict the stress concentration in the matrix as well as the onset of matrix yielding. The extended modification results showed that it gives a good agreement with finite element analysis as well as with experimental data. It was also found that the local matrix yielding is initiated in the vincinity of the fiber ends which produces local plasticity and an elastic-elastic transition before the composite stress reaches matrix yield stress.