摘要

Three kinds of brittle fibers (SiC fiber, glass fiber, and carbon fiber) were tensioned to fracture at both quasi-static and dynamic loading rates. Scanning electron microscope observations of the morphology of the fracture surfaces show two distinct fracture modes for all three fibers. The mode of fracture changes with the loading rate, in a way that correlates with the stain-rate dependence of the fiber strength. Based on this observation, we explore the effects of fracture mode on the strength of brittle fibers, and discuss the pertinence of this observation to classical fiber strength theories, including the 'weakest link' principle and the Weibull strength distribution theory.