Interfacial shear strength studies using the single-filament-composite test. II: A probability model and Monte Carlo simulation

A Monte Carlo simulation is developed to provide a foundation for interpreting experimental data from the single-filament-composite test. The main focus is on developing an improved procedure for arriving at a realistic value for the shear strength of the fiber-matrix interface, but it is also shown how the test may be used to characterize the strength distribution of fibers at a length scale much shorter than is achievable in standard tension tests. The simaulation is based on the widely used Poisson/Weibull probability model for fiber failure that characterizes the strength in terms of the random flaws distributed along the fiber. (Author)