Interface effects on the micromechanical response of a transversely loaded single fiber SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V composite

The ability of a fiber-matrix interface to support a transverse load is typically evaluated in straight-sided composite specimens where a stress singularity exists at the free surface of the interface. This stress singularity is often the cause of crack initiation and debonding during transverse loading. In order to develop a fundamental understanding of the transverse behavior of the fiber-matrix interface, it is necessary to alter the crack initiation site from the free surface to an internal location. To achieve this objective, a cross-shaped specimen has been recently developed. In this study, based on the experimentally observed onset of nonlinearity in the stress-strain curve of these specimens and finite element analysis, the bond strength of the SCS-6/Ti-6Al-4V interface was determined to be 115 MPa. The micromechanical behavior of these specimens under transverse loading was examined by finite element analysis using this interface bond strength value and compared with experimental observations. Results demonstrate that the proposed geometry was successful in suppressing debonding at the surface and altering it to an internal event. The results from numerical analysis correlated well with the experimental stress-strain curve and several simple analytical models. In an attempt to identify the true bond strength and the interface failure criterion, the present study suggests that if failure initiates under tensile radial stresses, then the normal bond strength of the SCS-6 /Ti-6Al-4V composites is approx115 MPa; under shear failure, the tangential shear strength of the interface is approx180 MPa.