Prediction of fatigue limit for unidirectional carbon fibre/epoxy composites

A micromechanics model is used for the prediction of the fatigue limit of unidirectional carbon fibre/epoxy composite materials. The model is based on the hypothesis that failure of a fibre will result in fibre/matrix debonding of the broken fibre. The associated debond crack tip stress fields will raise the stress in the neighbour fibres as the debond crack tips move along the broken fibre and can thus cause failure of the neighbouring fibres. The fatigue limit is defined from the maximum applied cyclic stress that does not induce failure of any neighbour fibres. Effects of microscale mechanical properties are investigated. The model predicts that the fatigue limit, expressed in terms of stress, increases with fibre volume fraction until 50-60 %, whereafter the fatigue limit decreases with increasing fibre volume fraction. With other parameters held fixed, the fatigue limit increases with increasing interfacial frictional sliding shear stress and with decreasing interfacial fracture energy. (paper)