Abstract: | The relationship between the tensile strength and cross-sectional area of high-modulus carbon fibers is examined. An equation is given for the strength of these promising fillers of composite materials; it is shown that the stability of their tensile strength is determined by the average defectiveness of the surface and degree and stretch, as well as variations in these quantities over any particular group of fibers. The elastic modulus and strength of the carbon fibers are related to the degree of stretch. |