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Fibers
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Fibers and Fiber-Reinforced Composite: Processing-Structure-Property Relationships
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Fibers and Fiber-Reinforced Composite: Processing-Structure-Property Relationships

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 1205

Editors

Prof. Dr. John W. Gillespie Jr.

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Composite Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental, Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Interests: composites; fibers; interphases; experimental mechanics; processing; multi-scale modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Subramani Sockalingam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, McNAIR Aerospace Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Interests: composites; impact; computational mechanics; manufacturing; inverse methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue invites original research papers on both fundamental and applied aspects related to processing–structure–property relationships in advanced/new fibers, fiber–matrix interphases and fiber-reinforced composite materials. Materials of interest include, but are not limited to, structural fibers (e.g., carbon, glass and basalt), polymer fibers (aramid, polyethylene, nylon and polyester) and natural fibers and their effects on durability and damage tolerance of fiber-reinforced composites. Research issues of interest include, but are not limited to, new multifunctional fibers and their composites, multi-scale modeling (molecular dynamics, micromechanics to continuum length scales) and novel material characterization methods. The papers published here are envisioned to have broad implications for applications including aerospace, automotive and defense.

Prof. Dr. John W. Gillespie Jr.
Dr. Subramani Sockalingam
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aerospace
  • polymer fibers
  • composites
  • failure mechanisms
  • micromechanics
  • strength
  • stiffness

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 6242 KB  
Article
Effects of Hydrostatic Consolidation Pressure on Void Reduction and Effective Mechanical Properties of Hexagonal and Stochastic UHMWPE Fibril Arrays
by A. I. Fadeel, J. W. Gillespie, Jr. and M. A. N. Dewapriya
Fibers 2026, 14(8), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib14080092 - 13 Aug 2026
Viewed by 146
Abstract
This study develops a finite element analysis (FEA) framework to quantify hydrostatic consolidation of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibril arrays containing interstitial voids. Hexagonal and stochastic representative volume elements (RVEs) were constructed from experimentally measured fibril diameters and embedded in a nearly incompressible Mooney–Rivlin [...] Read more.
This study develops a finite element analysis (FEA) framework to quantify hydrostatic consolidation of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibril arrays containing interstitial voids. Hexagonal and stochastic representative volume elements (RVEs) were constructed from experimentally measured fibril diameters and embedded in a nearly incompressible Mooney–Rivlin medium to transfer hydrostatic pressure to irregular fibril surfaces. Molecular dynamics (MD)-derived fibril properties at 300 K and 400 K were used to evaluate the effects of temperature, elastic–plastic deformation, and stochastic microstructure on void collapse and effective fiber properties. The 300 K elastic model required pressures approaching 1.3 GPa to reach approximately 1–2% void content, whereas the combined effects of elevated temperature, elastic–plastic fibril behavior, and stochastic fibril packing reduced the corresponding pressure to approximately 160 MPa. The stochastic RVE exhibited a higher initial void content, earlier plastic dissipation, lower initial effective stiffness, and nonuniform fibril–fibril contact evolution compared to the idealized hexagonal RVE. As void content decreased, both models converged toward the dense fibril response. The framework establishes a processing–microstructure–property relationship linking consolidation pressure to the evolving void morphology, fibril shape and contact development, and the resulting effective plane-strain bulk modulus and the transverse compressive stress–strain response, including the Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, of UHMWPE fibers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Fiber-Reinforced Composite: Processing-Structure-Property Relationships)
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36 pages, 4347 KB  
Article
Feed-Controlled Filament Extrusion of High-Loading Micronized Soy Hull Fiber/PLA Biocomposites for Fused Deposition Modeling
by Muneeb Tahir, Tri Vu and Abdel-Fattah M. Seyam
Fibers 2026, 14(7), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib14070084 - 16 Jul 2026
Viewed by 424
Abstract
This study reports the filament-making stage of a sequential single-screw process-development pathway for compatibilizer- and plasticizer-free soy hull fiber (SHF)/PLA biocomposites used in fused deposition modeling. Thirty-three filament-making trials were interpreted through an event-linked process chain, and 14 trials were evaluated using phase-resolved [...] Read more.
This study reports the filament-making stage of a sequential single-screw process-development pathway for compatibilizer- and plasticizer-free soy hull fiber (SHF)/PLA biocomposites used in fused deposition modeling. Thirty-three filament-making trials were interpreted through an event-linked process chain, and 14 trials were evaluated using phase-resolved in-line diameter records and capability-style Cp/Cpk metrics. Filament-making converged on a single-mixing-zone screw, a 3.85 mm orifice/5.75 mm land die, 10 rev/min, and a 160/170/180/195 °C barrel profile for 10–30 wt.% SHF, whereas neat PLA required 180/185/200/205 °C. The strongest sustained benchmark was a 10SHF filament produced under converged settings, with a mean diameter of 1.7411 mm, a standard deviation of 0.0236 mm, 95.45% of readings within 1.70–1.80 mm, and only 0.013% above 1.89 mm. Feed replenishment, depletion, irregular pellets, recycled material, and fines-rich feed shifted the same nominal configuration among controlled and unstable states. The highest reliably spool-fed formulation was 30 wt.% SHF. The 35SHF filament remained nozzle-depositable from loose coils but fractured repeatedly during take-up and direct spool unwinding in 3D printing. Operational validation of all four converged filament formulations comprised 720 printed mechanical-test specimens over approximately 936 h. The reported conditions define platform-specific operating windows, but the process insights hold global relevance for pellet-based extrusion systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fibers and Fiber-Reinforced Composite: Processing-Structure-Property Relationships)
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