Direct Numerical Simulation of Fracture Behaviour for Random Short Wood Fibres Reinforced Composites, Comparison with Digital Image Correlation Experiments

The work is to predict fracture behaviour of bio-composites from the tensile properties of its components. In this work, we have realized a direct numerical simulation of fracture behaviour for random short spruce fibers reinforced composites. For calculations, wood fibers have been considered as linear elastic bodies, polypropylene matrix as an elastic-plastic material. Then, numerical results have been compared with experimental results that have been obtained by digital image correlation. This comparison indicates that random fiber FE model of random short spruce fibers reinforced composites can be able to fairly reflect the influence of random fibers microstructure in the composite on its fracture behavior. The calculation of both random fiber and homogeneous FE model and their comparison with experiments show that the average values of J-integral in a region in the front of the crack tip from both numerical FE models are in good agreement with the average J value of DIC experiment in the same region when the numerical and experimental CT specimens of the short spruce fiber reinforced composite are subjected to the same extension at their loading point