FIBER PUSHOUT TEST - A 3-DIMENSIONAL FINITE-ELEMENT COMPUTATIONAL SIMULATION

A fiber pushthrough process has been computationally simulated using a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element method. The interphase material is replaced by an anisotropic material with greatly reduced shear modulus, such that the simulation becomes linear up to the fiber pushthrough load. Such a procedure is easily implemented and is computationally very effective. It can be used to predict fiber pushthrough load for a composite system at any temperature. The average interface shear strength obtained from pushthrough load can easily be separated into its two components: one that comes from frictional stresses and the other that comes from chemical adhesion between fiber and the matrix and mechanical interlocking that develops as a result of shrinkage of the composite because of phase change during the processing. Step-by-step procedures are described to perform the computational simulation, to establish bounds on interfacial bond, and to interpret interfacial bond quality.