Paper number 487

GEOMETRIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSES OF THE MICRODROPLET TEST

A. Hodzic, S. Kalyanasundaram, A. E. Lowe and Z. H. Stachurski

Department of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
The Australian National University, ACT 0200, Canberra, Australia

Summary

The microdroplet test has been used to establish the interfacial shear strength of the fibre-matrix bond. In our studies the fibre is pulled out while the drop is supported by a platinum disc with a hole. The results indicate that geometry of the microdroplet test has the foremost influence on the distribution of stress in the specimen and leads to two failure modes. Stress distribution has been investigated along the specimen's interface and at the supported area of the droplet's surface. The droplet's conus angle (at the droplet's tip) and the position of the fixture that is used to support the specimen during the test are the two most influential parameters for the stress distribution in the specimen. Experimental results have confirmed the FEA results, leading to further understanding of the interfacial shear stress distribution of the fibre-droplet bond.

Keywords

microdroplet test, stress distribution, interface, interphase, silane coupling.