Back calculated compressive properties of flax fibers utilizing the Impregnated Fiber Bundle Test (IFBT)
Abstract In this study, the back calculated compressive properties of flax fibers utilizing the Impregnated Fiber Bundle Test (IFBT) were investigated. The back calculated stress-strain response can be described by the Ramberg-Osgood model. The compressive modulus of the fiber is similar to its tensile modulus. The compressive strength of the fiber is approximately 45 % of its tensile strength. Considering the presence of local fiber kinking within the elementary fibers as well as global fiber kinking due to fiber misalignments and plastic shear deformation in the matrix material, this is a remarkably high value for the compressive strength. Our results indicate that local fiber kinking precedes global fiber kinking. We show that IFBT is a promising method for determining the compressive properties of flax fibers and provides necessary input data for finite element analysis of the compressive failure mechanisms in unidirectional flax fiber reinforced composites.