| Abstract: | A model is proposed to correlate the interfacial shear strength at the fibre-matrix interface, measured by means of a fragmentation test on single fibre composites, to the reversible work of adhesion between both solids, this quantity being defined as the sum of the dispersive and the acid-base interactions (physical interactions) between the fibre and the matrix. Whatever the nature of the fibres and the matrices, a linear relationship, passing through the origin, is established between the interfacial shear strength and the reversible work of adhesion. However, the slope of this straight line depends on the elastic properties and, more precisely, on the elastic moduli of both the fibre and the matrix. This leads us to express the reversible work of adhesion as the product of a mean intermolecular distance at the interface and an adhesive pressure related to the interfacial shear strength. The limits of the theoretical and experimental approaches leading to the establishment of such a model, as well as its domain of validity, are discussed. |
