A Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of the General Wool Fiber Stress-Strain Behavior with Particular Reference to Structural and Dimensional Nonuniformities

Abstract

The general wool-type three-region behavior (i.e., Hookean, yield, and post-yield regions) is examined both theoretically and experimentally. In order to account for the influence of structural variation, the concept of effective area is introduced and it is shown that this effective area may differ according to the region in which the fiber is being extended. The general effects of effective-area variation on the regions of the stress-strain curve are derived and these are applied to a number of theoretical situations to demonstrate the stress-strain possibilities. It is shown that the relationship between the stress-strain curves for different sets of conditions can be quite complex since the nonuniformity relationships for the various regions of the curves and between curves may vary according to the conditions of testing. Two examples are given of the application of the theory in practice. The behavior of fibers in water and hydrochloric acid are compared and it is shown that there are variations in the effect of the acid within the fiber. The behavior of abraded fibers is examined and it is found that differences previously attributed by other workers to differences between the ortho and para components of the fibers are actually due to variable bond breakdown within the fiber material.