ANALYSIS OF RIGID CURVED INCLUSION EMBEDDED IN A SOFT MATRIX: EXPERIMENTAL INSIGHTS

The role of fiber curvature in short-fiber thermoplastics can be explored by studying a rigid curved inclusion embedded in an epoxy matrix. Although inclusion enhances global stiffness, it also acts as a source of stress singularity, which leads to failure. The current study employs the 2D digital image correlation (DIC) technique to obtain full-field strain fields over a rigid curved inclusion embedded in a soft matrix. The experiment is performed on a rigid curved inclusion specimen subjected to remote tensile loading of 350N. The experimentally obtained strain field is verified using the finite element technique, and a good match is observed. Finally, the stress intensity factor is defined for the rigid curved inclusion, and it is estimated along with the geometric correction factor.
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