  We study the nucleation and development of crack patterns in thin composite
fibers under tension in this work. A fiber comprises an elastic core and an
outer layer of a weaker brittle material. In recent tensile experiments on such
composites, multiple cracks were observed to develop simultaneously on the
outer layer. We propose here a simple one-dimensional model to predict such
phenomenon. We idealize the problem as two axially loaded rods coupled by a
linear interfacial condition. The latter can be regarded as an adhesive that
resists slip between the two materials. One rod is modeled as a brittle
material, and the other a linearly elastic material, both undergoing finite
deformations.
