Relationship between Results of Tensile Test of FRCM Composites and the Fiber-Matrix Bond Properties

The mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites are derived from tensile tests of composite coupons and shear tests of composite strips bonded to the substrate. Different test set-ups are used for tensile coupons, which lead to different tensile responses depending on the mechanical properties of the matrix and bond properties of the fiber-matrix interface. Direct shear tests are employed to study the stress-transfer between the composite and the substrate onto which the composite is bonded. These tests can be employed to obtain the cohesive material law (CML) that describes the bond behavior at various interfaces, such as the matrix-substrate, matrix-matrix, and fiber-matrix interface. In this paper, the cohesive material law associated with the fiber-matrix interface of a polyparaphenylene benzo-bisoxazole (PBO) FRCM composite is employed in an analytical model to reproduce the tensile response of the FRCM composite, when the fibers are gripped directly. The results of the model are compared with corresponding experimental results of tensile tests of the same FRCM composite employed to calibrate the CML. The experimental work includes digital image correlation (DIC) analysis of the cracking process. A comparison between the analytical and the experimental results is performed in terms of load response focusing on the coupon deformation and opening of the cracks.