Author:

Keywords:

DVC, SRCT, Fibre, Fracture, Strain

Abstract:

This paper presents a novel application of Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) and in situ Synchrotron Radiation Computed Tomography (SRCT) to uniaxial loading in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs). DVC is a relatively novel tool for quantifying full-field volumetric displacements and implicit strain fields [1]. To permit the application of DVC to displacements and/or strain measurements parallel to the fibre direction in well aligned unidirectional (UD) materials, a methodology was developed for the insertion of sparse populations of sub-micrometre particles within the matrix to act as displacement trackers (fiducial markers). For the novel materials systems we have developed, measurement noise is considered, along with the spatial filtering intrinsic to established DVC data processing. The evolution of individually fractured filaments into clusters of breaks is presented, together with the associated elevated strain region. A balance of spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is discussed in relation to measuring local micromechanical phenomena, such as ineffective length, within the bulk material. It is shown that novel, mechanistically consistent measurements may be made in relation to fibre failure events.