A technique for the measurement of reinforcement fibre tensile strength at sub-millimetre gauge lengths

The strength of composite reinforcement fibres is normally measured on samples of much greater length than the actual residual fibre lengths found in many composite materials. This is due to a number of limitations of the standard techniques which are employed. We present a description of a technique which enables values for the tensile strength of composite reinforcement fibres at short gauge lengths to be obtained. The technique is based on an adaptation of a micro-mechanical test apparatus for fibre pullout measurements. Data is presented which was obtained at gauge lengths of 180-380 µm on E-glass and S-2 glass® fibres taken from different chopped reinforcement products. The technique can be used at gauge lengths as short as 20 µm. The data indicates that the values of average fibre strength in these products are significantly below the pristine glass strength values.