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Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Disentangling High Strength Copolymer Aramid Fibers to Enable the Determination of Their Mechanical Properties
Published on: September 1, 2018
Stress mapping reveals extrinsic toughening of brittle carbon fiber in polymer matrix
Hongxin Wang1, Han Zhang1, Kenta Goto2
1Research Center for Advanced Measurement and Characterization, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Abstract:
We conducted an in situ study on CFRP fracturing process using atomic-force-microscopy-based stress-sensitive indentation. Tensile stress distribution during fracture initiation and propagation was directly observed quantitatively. It led to a discovery that previously believed catastrophic fracture of individual carbon fiber develops in a controllable manner in the polymer matrix, exhibiting 10 times increase of fracture toughness. Plastic deformation in crack-bridging polymer matrix was accounted for the toughening mechanism. The model was applied to explain low temperature strength weakening of CFRP bulk material when matrix plasticity was intentionally 'shut down' by cryogenic cooling.
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