Fibre Reinforced

Composites

Agarwal, B.D., L.J. Broutman and K. Chandrashekhara. 2006. Analysis and

performance of fiber composites, 3rd edn, New York: John Wiley & sons.
 Fibre Reinforced Composites
 The oldest & most widely used type of composite
material
 Most of the structural elements (laminates) are
made of several distinct layers of laminae
 Each lamina (individual layer) is usually made of
the same constituent materials
 Individual layer may differ from another layer
 Relative volume of constituent materials
 Form of the reinforcement
 Continuous or discontinuous, woven or nonwoven
 Orientation of fibres w.r.t. common axis
Unidirectional Fibre Composite

 Consists of parallel
fibres embedded in a
matrix
 Several layers can
be stacked in a
specified sequence
of orientation
 Each layer may be
referred as a ply or Schematic representation of a layer of
unidirectional composite
lamina
Fibre Reinforced Composites

 There are five characteristic values

of strength
 Longitudinal TS
 Longitudinal CS
 Transverse TS
 Transverse CS
 In-plane shear strength
 Not generally related to each other
 Volume – Weight Fractions
 One major factor for determining the properties of
a composite material
 The relative proportion of the fibres and matrix
 Proportions are usually expressed as volume or
weight fractions
 Weight fractions are generally easier to determine
 During the composite fabrication
 Testing after fabrication
 However, the volume fractions are used for the
micromechanical analysis
 The relationship between the volume and the
weight fractions is achieved through the composite
density
Notations
Subscripts f, m, c refer
to fibre, matrix, vf vm
Vf  Vm 
composite, vc vc
respectively
v volume wf wm
Wf  Wm 
V volume fraction wc wc
w weight
V f  Vm  1 ( No voids)
W weight fraction
ρ density W f  Wm  1
Rule-of-mixtures
 Composite properties are estimated as
volume weighted averages of the
component properties
 Works only for certain simple situations
 Density
 For mechanical properties certain
restrictions are there
 Better to use more sophisticated
approaches based on the theory of
elasticity
Density
 wc= wf + wm ---------- 1
 Valid even in the presence of any voids
 Volume of composite must include the
volume of voids
 vc= vf + vm+ vv ---------- 2
 Dividing eqn.1 by wc
 Wf + Wm= 1 ---------- 3
 Dividing eqn. 2 by vc
 Vf + Vm + Vv = 1 ---------- 4
Density

 The composite density, c, based

on volume fraction

wc w f + wm ρ f v f + ρm vm
ρc = = =
vc vc vc

ρc = ρ f V f + ρmVm ----------5
 Density
 c can be derived in terms of weight
fractions
wc wc wc
c   
vc v f  vm w f wm

f m
1
c 
Wf Wm

f m
1 Wf Wm
   6
c f m
Calculate the density of glass/epoxy composite containing 50% fibre.
Composite Density

Volume and weight fractions relationship

n
 c    iVi
i 1

i
Wi  Vi
1

n
Wi c
c i 1 i
Fibre Volume Fraction and Weight
Fraction
 Fibre volume fraction, Vf
is defined as the ratio of Wf
the volume of fibre to
vf f
the total volume of the Vf  
composite. vc Wf Wm

 Although Vf is used in all f m
theoretical calculations, wf Vf  f
fibre weight fraction, Wf Wf  
wc V f  f  Vm  m
is a more convenient
parameter for weighing
and mixing during
fabrication
Polymer Composite Density
 Differences in curing, heat & pressure and
interaction with the reinforcement may affect the
resin density
 Void content may affect some mechanical properties
 At higher void contents
 Lower fatigue resistance
 Greater susceptibility to water penetration &
weathering
 Increased variation or scatter in mechanical
properties
 Good composite should have less than 1% voids
 Poorly made composites have up to 5% voids
Representative Volume
Element (RVE)
 The smallest ply region over which
the stresses and strains behave in
a macroscopically homogeneous
behaviour.
 Microscopically, RVE shows
heteregeneous behaviour.
 Generally, single force is
considered in the RVE.
Representative Volume Element

RVE

matrix
fibre
Material Properties

 The material properties concerned

with composite materials are :
 E1 = Modulus of elasticity in fibre
direction
 E2 = Modulus of elasticity in
transverse direction
 12 = inplane Poisson’s ratio
 G12 = inplane shear modulus
 G23 = out-of-plane shear modulus
Assumptions made for the estimation
of properties
1. The fibres are: 2. The matrix is:
a) Homogeneous a) Homogeneous
b) Isotropic b) Isotropic
c) Linearly elastic c) Linearly elastic
d) Regularly spaced
e) Perfectly aligned
Assumptions…

3. The composite ply is:

a) Macroscopically homogeneous
b) Macroscopically orthotropic
c) Linearly elastic
d) Initially stress free
4. Perfect bonding between the fibres
and matrix
5. There are no voids
Prediction of Elastic Constants
 Consider a
unidirectional
fibre composite
 A tensile force
Pc is applied in
the fibre
direction
Pc = Pf + Pm
Longitudinal Modulus, E1

 It is assumed that there is a perfect

bond between the fibres and matrix
 No slippage occurs at the interface
 When the RVE is subjected to a
stress in direction 1, the strains in
the fibre and matrix are the same in
direction 1:
 εf = εm = εc (Iso-strain condition)
P = σA
σ c Ac = σ m Am + σ f A f
Am Af
σc = σm +σf
Ac Ac
σ c = σ mVm + σ f V f
εc = εm = ε f
σc σm σf
= Vm + Vf
εc εm εf
E cl = E mVm + E f V f
E cl = E m ( 1 - V f ) + E f V f
Load Sharing of Constituents
 f Ef  f Ef
 ; 
 m Em  c Ec
Pf  fVf E f  fVf E fVf
  
Pm  mVm Em mVm EmVm
Pf E fV f
 , Divide by EmV f
Pc E f V f  EmVm
Ef
Em

Ef   Vm 
 
  V 
 E m  f 
Load Sharing of Constituents

 Ratio of stresses is the same as

the ratio of corresponding elastic
moduli
 To attain high stresses in the fibres
 Ef should be much greater than Em
 Ratio of loads depend on
 Elastic moduli of the fibres & matrix
 Ratio of their volume fractions
 Calculate the ratios of fibre stress to
composite stress for unidirectional,
continuous fibre reinforced composites
with Vf of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7. Assume
that the composites are loaded in the fibre
direction and the moduli of fibre and matrix
are 380 and 3 GPa, respectively.
 9.34, 3.27, 1.98, 1.42
Calculate the fraction of load carried by the fibres in two
composites of glass fibres and epoxy matrix, one of them
containing 10% fibres by volume and the other one 50%.
Ef is 72 GPa and Em is 3.6 GPa. Repeat the same problem for
carbon fibre with an elastic modulus of 432 GPa.

0.69, 0.952

0.930, 0.992
Ratio of fibre load to matrix load as Percentage of load carried by fibres
a function of their elastic moduli ratio for as a function of fibre modulus to matrix
different fibre volume fractions modulus ratio for different fibre volume
fractions
 Load Sharing of Constituents
 For a given fibre-matrix system
 Vf must be maximised for fibres to
carry a higher proportion of the
composite load
 Maximum volume percentage of
fibres* can be 91%
 But, above 80%, the composite
properties usually begin to decrease
 Inability of the matrix to wet & infiltrate the
bundles of fibres

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_packing
Load Sharing of Constituents

 Excellent strength and strength to

weight ratios achieved by glass
fibre reinforced plastics
 Strength of glass fibre is high
 Ef/Em is ~20
 Even at 10% by volume of glass
fibre, the fibre takes 70% of the
total load
 Transverse Modulus, E2

σ ct = σ f = σ m isostress situation
Total displaceme nt of the composite is in the
thickness direction
Δtc = Δt f + Δtm
Δtc
= εct strain in the composite in the thickness direction
tc
Δtm = εm tm & Δt f = ε f t f
Transverse Modulus, E2

 ct t c   f t f   m t m 1
tf tm
or  ct   f  m 2
tc tc
For a given cross sectional area of the composite
under the applied load, the volume fractions of
fibre & matrix can be written as
tf tm
V f  and Vm 
tc tc
Transverse Modulus, E2

 ct   f V f   mVm      3
 ct f m
or  Vf  Vm
Ect Ef Em
1 V f Vm
or        4
Ect E f Em
Transverse Modulus, E2

 Fibres are much less effective in

raising modulus in transverse
direction
 Transverse modulus can be raised
to five times by providing 90%
fibres
 But, 90% is not practical
Normalised modulus of composite as a
function of fibre volume fraction
 A burn-out test was performed to determine the volume fractions of
glass fibre in a unidirectional glass fibre reinforced epoxy
composite. The following observations were made:
Weight of empty crucible = 49.651 g
Weight of crucible and a piece of composite = 52.182 g
Weight of crucible and glass after burn-out = 51.448 g
Find out the weight and volume fractions of glass fibres and epoxy
resin. The density values of fibres and resin are 2.54 and 1.2
g/cm3, respectively. If the density determined experimentally was
1.82 g/cm3, determine the void content in the composite.
If the elastic moduli of glass fibre and epoxy are 70 and 3 GPa,
respectively, find out the longitudinal and traverse elastic moduli of
this composite, by assuming that the volume fraction of voids is
negligible.
Void content= 0.072 cm3 or 5.17%

Ecl=39.18 GPa and Ect=6.21 GPa

Stress-strain Behaviour of Composites

 Fibre has linear stress-strain curve

 One of the composite materials is made with a matrix,
which has non-linear stress-strain curve
 Stress-strain curve of composite (a) will be linear,
whereas (b) will be non-linear
 Non-linearity may not be distinct
 Because of predominance of fibre properties
Stress-strain Behaviour of
Composites
 Composite stress-strain curves lie
between fibre & matrix curves
 Actual location depends on the relative
volume fraction
 Theoretical estimation is quite accurate,
when the applied load is tensile
 Deviate, when the applied load is
compressive
 Strongly dependent on the matrix
properties
Deformation Behaviour of
Composites
 In general, the deformation of a
composite may proceed in four stages
1. Both fibres & matrix deform
elastically
2. Fibres continue to deform elastically,
but the matrix deforms plastically
3. Both fibres & matrix deform
plastically
4. Fibre fracture followed by composite
fracture
Deformation Behaviour of Composites
 Stage 2, occupy the largest portion in MMC
 Composite modulus must be predicted at
each strain level by
 d m 
Ec  E f V f   Vm
 d m 
 Stage 3, is observed with ductile fibres
 Ductile fibre fail by necking
 Lateral restraint exerted by the matrix prevents
necking
 Can cause deviations from the simple rule-of-mixtures
Stress-strain curves for hypothetical composite materials
Minimum Fibre Volume Fraction
Initiation of failure in a composite occurs at
the fracture strain of fibres
Matrix will not be able to support load, when Vf is
above a certain minimum
The ultimate strength of composite is

 cu   fuV f   m* 1  V f 
σ is the matrix stress at the fibre fracture strain
*
m
Minimum Fibre Volume Fraction
When Vf is less than
certain minimum  cu   mu 1  V f 
(Vmin), the composite So, for the fibres to control the
will not fracture at failure of composite

fibre failure strain ( ) ( )

σ fuV f + σ*m 1 - V f ≥σ mu 1 - V f
Fibres are
ineffective in
restraining the  mu   *
Vmin  m
matrix elongation  fu   mu   m*
The composite will
fail at a stress Vmmu
Critical Fibre Volume Fraction
Only when the
strength of  cu   V
fu f   *
 
m 1  V f   mu
composite exceeds
UTS of matrix, there
is strengthening
effect
This defines a critical  mu   m *
Vcrit 
volume fraction, that  fu   m *
must be exceeded
for strengthening
Ultimate strength of unidirectional composite as a function of fibre volume fraction
Deformation Behaviour of
Composites
 The matrix may be a strain hardening metal or an inelastic
polymer
 Vcrit & Vmin are controlled by the plastic flow & strain
hardening of the matrix
 The matrix strength is higher than the matrix stress at the
fibre fracture strain
 Vcrit & Vmin increase
 As the degree of strain hardening of the matrix increases
 As the matrix strength approaches the fibre strength
 Strong matrix requires high Vf for strengthening
 Vcrit & Vmin are very small for most polymers
 Exhibit only a limited plastic flow & strain hardening
 Vmin for glass-epoxy is 0.0025-0.01
Fracture Modes in Composites
 A great variety of deformation
modes can lead to failure of the
composite
 Operative failure mode depends on
loading conditions & microstructure
 Microstructure
 Fibre diameter
 Fibre volume fraction
 Fibre distribution
 Defects resulting from thermal stresses
Single & Multiple Fracture
 Fibre & matrix will have different values
of strain at fracture
 When the component with smaller
breaking strain fractures, the load is
thrown onto the other one
 If the component with a higher strain of
fracture can bear this additional load
 The composite will show multiple fracture
of the brittle component
 E.g. Metallic fibre bridging the ceramic
matrix
Fibre fracture strain is less than that of the matrix

The composite will show a single fracture, when

 fuV f   muVm   m Vm
’m is the matrix stress corresponding to the fibre fracture strain

When the fibres break, the matrix will not be able to support the additional load

The fibres will be broken into small segments until the matrix fracture, when

 fuV f   muVm   m Vm

When the fibres have a fracture strain greater than that of the matrix,
multiple fractures in the matrix

σ fuV f > σ muVm + σ ′

fVf
 Find out the minimum and critical
volume fraction of glass fibres needed
to reinforce epoxy resin. ( fu = 1.9
GPa; mu = 80 MPa; *m= 60 MPa).
Calculate the composite strength with
minimum and critical volume fraction
of fibres (Assume that the strength of
matrix is unaltered in the composite)
 0.0104, 0.01086
 79.14 MPa, 80.06 MPa
 A continuous and aligned fibre-reinforced composite
is produced with 55 vol.% aramid fibres in 45 vol.%
of polycarbonate matrix. The modulus of elasticity
and tensile strength of aramid fibres are 125 GPa
and 3300 MPa, respectively and the respective
values for polycarbonate are 2.1 GPa and 66 MPa.
Also, the stress on the polycarbonate matrix when
the aramid fibres fail is 33 MPa. For this composite,
compute the longitudinal tensile strength and the
longitudinal modulus of elasticity.
 1830 MPa, 69.7 GPa
 Assume that the composite described in previous problem
has a cross-sectional area of 400 mm2 and is subjected to a
longitudinal force of 43,400 N.
a) Calculate the fibre-matrix load ratio.
a) 72.75
b) Calculate the actual loads carried by both fibre and matrix
phases.
b) Pf=42812 N and Pm=588 N
c) Compute the magnitude of the stress on each of the fibre
and matrix phases.
c) f=194.6 N/mm2; m=3.27 N/mm2
d) What strain is experienced by the composite?
d) 0.00156
 For a continuous and aligned fibre
reinforced composite, the moduli of
elasticity in the longitudinal and
transverse directions are 52.1 and
5.73 GPa, respectively. If the volume
fraction of fibres is 0.4, determine the
moduli of elasticity of fibre and matrix.
 125 GPa, 3.5 GPa
 In an aligned and continuous carbon fibre
reinforced polymer composite, the fibres are to
carry 93% of a load applied in the longitudinal
direction. Determine the volume fraction of fibres
that will be required, if the modulus values of
carbon fibre and polymer matrix are 240 and
3 GPa, respectively. What will be the tensile
strength of this composite? Assume that the
matrix stress at fibre failure is 56 MPa and tensile
strength of carbon fibre is 3600 MPa.
 0.142, 559.25 MPa
Links for class recordings

 You are encouraged to attend the live online

classes. The links are provided for those having
network problem.
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Miyk-
MSNqUYx2p8dG_NCt0EXD3X51c2f/view?usp=sha
ring
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RqgfdPmORlShKJd
F3YHztJwEXPNEjtrn/view?usp=sharing
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NwVLNOEtLTV3Uc
H6dFE54hbpJnhz8V7w/view?usp=sharing
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/11W2IjLlbWLJ5WNL1
TdijSbIv9pqGq21k/view?usp=sharing