Damage and Rupture in Random Fiber Networks

Fibrous networks occur ubiquitously in biological and synthetic materials. Failure in such materials can occur due to the rupture of fibers or, more often, due to the rupture of bonds. Material parameters such as network architecture, fiber and bond properties and degree of heterogeneity in the network determine the dominant failure mechanism. In this work, we identify the key parameters controlling the strength of random fiber networks and propose scaling laws relating strength to structural parameters and properties of the bonds. A ductile to brittle transition is evidenced and the system parameters controlling the transition are discussed. The results provide guidelines for network design.