A BIOMIMETIC MODEL OF SHORT FIBRE REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS III. Intensiting Effect of Dumbbell Fibre-Reinforced Composite with Brittle Matrix

According to the stress analysis of dumbbell fibre-reinforced composite, the weakly bonded interfaces in the composite materials with brittle matrix were investigated. It is shown that the bending strength of concrete reinforced by fibres with enlarged-ends is 20% higher than that by plain fibres. The well distributed stress and the increased pull-out resistance because of enlarged-ends are the important reasons. It means that this biomimetic model gives rise reinforcing effect not only to plastic matrix but also to brittle one.