Statistical aspects of the failure of organic-fiber-reinforced plastics

Dispersion of the strength of filaments and of the Weibull coefficientβ leads to a drop in strength of a strand compared with the strength of the components when the adhesion by gluing together does not amount to 2–5%. The drop in strength is determined by the dispersion of strength which depends on the length of the tested specimens. Gluing together of the fibers in filaments changes the nature of the load diagrams σ-ɛ of a filament when its length exceeds δ0. A consequence is that the mechanism of rupture of the strand changes, and this leads to an additional drop of its strength. When specimens are 500 mm long, the drop in strength of the strand compared with the mean strength of the filaments amounts to 10%. Because of the dispersion of the Weibull coefficientβ, the strength of filaments does not correspond exactly to the strength of the microplastic obtained from these filaments. When there is dispersion of the strength of the filaments, failure of the plastic proceeds by failure of the microplastics as a whole. Gluing together of fibers has a double effect on the strength of the material: increased degree of gluing together of the fibers reduces the “noneffective length” from δ0 to 0.4–0.5 mm, and this leads to an increase of approximately 50% of the strength of the microplastic; increased gluing together leads to a change in the mechanism of failure of the strand and of the organic-fiber-plastic made from it if there is dispersion of the strength of the component filaments, and this reduces the strength of the material in accordance with (3) (by 12–14% in our case). The longitudinal instability of the properties of the filament leads to an additional drop in strength of the material by 4.5%.