Tensile strength distribution of carbon fibers at short gauge lengths

In this study, we determined the strength distribution of high-strength polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers of different short gauge lengths (~1 mm) using both the single-fiber-composite four-point bending test and the single-fiber tensile test. We employed the bimodal Weibull model to explain the experimental data. We found that the value of the Weibull shape parameter for short gauge lengths was higher than that for long gauge lengths. This implies that the tensile strength distribution of carbon fibers is governed by two different flaw populations. The tensile strength of resin-impregnated fiber bundles predicted on the basis of the bimodal Weibull distribution was in better agreement with the experimental result than the tensile strength of those predicted on the basis of the unimodal Weibull distribution.