Periodic-Cell Simulations for the Microscopic Damage and Strength Properties of Discontinuous Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Composites

This paper investigated the damage transition mechanism between the fiber-breaking mode and the fiber-avoiding crack mode when the fiber-length is reduced in the unidirectional discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced-plastics (CFRP) composites. The critical fiber-length for the transition is a key parameter for the manufacturing of flexible and high-strength CFRP composites with thermoset resin, because below this limit, we cannot take full advantage of the superior strength properties of fibers. For this discussion, we presented a numerical model for the microscopic damage and fracture of unidirectional discontinuous fiber-reinforced plastics. The model addressed the microscopic damage generated in these composites; the matrix crack with continuum damage mechanics model and the fiber breakage with the Weibull model for fiber strengths. With this numerical model, the damage transition behavior was discussed when the fiber length was varied. The comparison revealed that the length of discontinuous fibers in composites influences the formation and growth of the cluster of fiber-end damage, which causes the damage mode transition. Since the composite strength is significantly reduced below the critical fiber-length for the transition to fiber-avoiding crack mode, we should understand the damage mode transition appropriately with the analysis on the cluster growth of fiber-end damage.