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ABSTRACT The transverse and longitudinal mechanical properties of aramid fibers like Kevlar™ 29 (K29) fibers are strongly linked to their highly oriented structure. Mechanical characterization at the single fiber scale is challenging especially when the diameter is as small as 15 µm. Longitudinal tensile tests on single K29 fibers and single fiber transverse compression test (SFTCT) have been developed. Our approach consists of coupling morphological observations and mechanical experiments with SFTCT analysis by comparing analytical solutions and finite element modeling. New insights on the analysis of the transverse direction response are highlighted. Systematic loading/unloading compression tests enable to experimentally determine a transverse elastic limit. Taking account of the strong anisotropy of the fiber, the transverse mechanical response sheds light on a skin/core architecture. More importantly, results suggest that the skin of the fiber, typically representing a shell of one micrometer in thickness, has a transverse apparent modulus of 0.2 GPa. That is around more than fifteen times lower than the transverse modulus of 3.0 GPa in the core. By comparison, the measured longitudinal modulus is about 84 GPa. The stress distribution in the fiber is explored and the critical areas for damage initiation are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 374-384 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an experimental study of the impact of water droplets on a solid substrate, with a droplet radius between 18 and 42 μm. We optically measured the interface shape during impact. The measured impact sequences show the impact phenomenology, droplet radius as a function of time, and oscillation behavior in the later stages of impact. The measured radius during impact is compared with existing models, and some of the deficiencies of common models are shown. The measured oscillation frequency in the later stage of impact compares well with an available analytical model. In addition, we measured the volume of the small bubble, which forms in the initial impact stage, as a function of impact velocity. The measured volume compares reasonably well with an approximate model based on air entrapment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]