Identifying microstructural features initiating compressive failure in unidirectional fibre-reinforced polymers
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Khoo, HL
Trask, RS
Pimenta, S
Robinson, P
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The industrial applicability of advanced fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) is limited by their compressive performance. This study aims to uncover the microstructural features that influence unidirectional (UD) FRP compressive failure. This was undertaken through computational simulation of virtual 2D UD-FRP microstructures with systematically varying fibre misalignment angle θf field statistical and spatial parameters. For each FRP, the location of maximum matrix plastic strain at peak global stress was taken as the failure initiation site location. Locations of maximum θf, maximum fibre volume fraction V f, and minimum V f for each FRP were also identified; the typical microstructural (θf and V f) features about such locations were compared against those of the failure initiation site locations. The results showed that UD-FRP failure initiation location could not be predicted using the magnitude of θf or Vf alone, and must include significant consideration of local spatial variation of the property fields as well. This study has highlighted the critical role of microstructural spatial patterns, in addition to the magnitudes of θf and V f, in influencing the underlying micromechanics of UD-FRP failure initiation.
Date Issued
2026-06-24
Date Acceptance
2026-05-07
Citation
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 2026, 325 (1)
ISSN
0020-7403
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
International Journal of Mechanical Sciences
Volume
325
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
©2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2026.111709
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
111709
Date Publish Online
2026-05-29