Mechanical testing of single fibers

Abstract

Materials in the form of long fibers are used in a variety of structural applications. Examples include cables, ropes, woven or nonwoven fabrics, and as reinforcements in composite materials. Thus, it is important to have knowledge of their mechanical characteristics. Mechanical testing of long, slender individual fibers is a nontrivial matter. Many techniques for testing single fibers are available. We describe some of the important ones in this chapter: tensile testing by using cardboard frame technique, recoil compression test, shear modulus by means of torsional pendulum test, loop test, techniques involving laser interferometry, Raman spectroscopy, and insitu techniques involving the use of scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy.