Response of Reinforcing Wires to Compressive States of Stress

A theoretical investigation of the compressive response of a wire embedded in an elastic matrix is reported. In the first section con sideration is given to the beam-column behavior of an initially crooked wire embedded in a matrix which is subjected to a state of uniaxial stress. A plot of the effective stiffness of the wire as a function of the wire's initial crookedness is given. Secondly, con sideration is given to the possibility of buckling, within the matrix, of a compressively loaded straight wire. A plot of the buckling load of the wire as a function of the ratio of the wire's and matrix's shear moduli is given. Two procedures are developed for the pre diction of the lateral support offered to the wire by the matrix. Both procedures are developed by treating the matrix as a three- dimensional elastic solid, however, only the first of the two meth ods completely satisfies the displacement continuity requirements between the wire and the matrix. This research was supported under subcontract to the Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, California, under prime contract no. N123 ( 60530)-55641A with the U. S. Naval Ordinance Test Station, China Lake, California.