Adaptation of Weibull analysis to represent strength behaviour of brittle fibres

International audienceFibre properties are used for estimating the damage and strength behaviour of composite materials and structures, as the mechanical properties of fibre reinforced composites are primarily dependent on those of fibres. Fibre reinforced composites owe their outstanding properties to their constituents, mainly the fibres which reinforce matrices in composites. The accuracy of the predictions made by composite strength models would be highly dependent on the accuracy of the fibre strength distribution which is used as input. Any error in input fibre strength properties would lead to inaccurate model predictions. It has however been highlighted by many studies that there is discrepancy in experimental data even for the same type of fibres. The fibre strength data used to determine fibre strength distributions may be inaccurate. Due to the fibre preselection effect, experimental data is usually incomplete and does not appropriately represent the true fibre strength variation. An adaptation to the Weibull analysis has been presented to predict a more accurate statistical distribution for the representation of the strength behaviour of fibres inside composites. This analysis considers the preselection effect, which is used in modelling the fibre strength behaviour. The described analysis has the potential to significantly improve the accuracy of fibre strength distribution determined using experimentally generated fibre strength data