Failure process of fiber bundles with random misalignment

Abstract: We investigate the failure process of fiber bundles with structural disorder represented by the random misalignment of fibers. The strength of fibers is assumed to be constant so that misalignment is the only source of disorder, which results in a heterogeneous load distribution over fibers. We show by analytical calculations and computer simulations that increasing the amount of structural disorder a transition occurs from a perfectly brittle behaviour with abrupt global failure to a quasi-brittle phase where failure is preceded by breaking avalanches. The size distribution of avalanches follows a power law functional form with a complex dependence of the exponent on the amount of disorder. In the vicinity of the critical point the avalanche exponent is 3/2, however, with increasing disorder a crossover emerges to a higher exponent 5/2. We show analytically that the mechanical behaviour of the bundle of misaligned fiber with no strength disorder can be mapped to an equal load sharing fiber bundle of perfectly aligned fibers with properly selected strength disorder.