Eur. Phys. J. B 12, 157-162 (1999)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510050990

Non-linear elastic behavior of light fibrous materials

Laboratoire "Surface du Verre et Interfaces" (UMR 125 CNRS/Saint-Gobain) , CNRS/Saint-Gobain, 39 Quai Lucien Lefranc, 93303 Aubervilliers Cedex, France

Corresponding author: ^a maud.baudequin@sgr.saint-gobain.com

Received: 2 February 1999
Published online: 15 November 1999

Abstract

Light fibrous materials composed of elastic fibers display a non-linear elastic behavior, where the non-linearity is due to the increase in the number of contacts between fibers under compression. Testing glass wool under compression up to 95% shows such a strongly non-linear behavior. A model is proposed to account for the divergence of the compressive stress σ as the strain ε approaches a threshold compression , with . Quantitative analysis of the experimental data on glass wool is fully consistent with this result.