Measurement of tensile and shear strength of interfacial bonding in fiber reinforced soft composites combining experiments and simulation

Interfacial bonding strength plays a key role in the mechanical performance of fiber reinforced polymers. However, measurement of interfacial bonding strength in fiber reinforced soft composites (FRSCs) becomes a challenging issue, because the large deformation capability of soft matrix invalidates most of current testing methods. This paper demonstrates an advanced method combining experiments and simulation, which provides a convenient and reliable means to measure both tensile strength and shear strength of interfacial bonding for FRSCs. The specimen is made by embedding a fiber bundle in a soft plate for transverse tensile test. Various stress states along the fiber–matrix interface can be realized by controlling the inclination angle of fiber bundle to the stretching direction. Tensile strength and shear strength of interfacial bonding in FRSCs can be estimated based on the analysis of critical stress states. The comparison with the widely adopted fiber pull-out test indicates that the nominal shear strength obtained in pull-out test is severely underestimated.