Synchrotron X-ray Microtomography and Finite Element Modelling to Uncover Flax Fibre Defect’s Role in Tensile Performances

Flax fibres offer performance capabilities comparable to glass fibres, thereby enhancing their potential in the biobased composites industry. However, these fibres have morphological defects affecting their mechanical features. In the present work, flax elementary fibres geometries with defects assessed by synchrotron X-ray microtomography were meshed to simulate a tensile test using finite element analysis. For the first time, the distribution of stresses in the vicinity of defects is revealed. The geometrical irregularities at the surface of the fibre and the delamination of cellulose layers within fibre cell wall turned out to concentrate stress up to 7.5 times compared to defect-free regions. These results demonstrate why flax fibres cannot reach their full potential in comparison to what could be expected from a structure mainly constituted from crystalline cellulose microfibrils, and why fracture in a composite is likely to initiate in those defect zones.