Biomimetic study on helical fiber composites

The innovative approach imparting strength and toughness to carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRP) is put forward from the viewpoint of biomimetics. Helical fibers produced by twisting fiber bundle are arranged in the matrix to simulate the unique structure of natural fibers. The results on the CFRP with helical fiber bundles show that, under the same state of strong fiber/matrix interface, the impact fracture toughness can be improved substantially compared to conventional composites with plain fibers. The beneficial effect is attributed to the helical fiber bundles which act as single fibers of huge diameter effectively increasing the fiber elastic energy.