Biaxial tests of flat graphite/epoxy laminates
The influence of biaxially applied loads on the strength of composite materials containing holes was analyzed. The analysis was performed through the development of a three dimensional, finite element computer program that is capable of evaluating fiber breakage, delamination, and matrix failure. Realistic failure criteria were established for each of the failure modes, and the influence of biaxial loading on damage accumulation under monotonically increasing loading was examined in detail. Both static and fatigue testing of specially designed biaxial specimens containing central holes were performed. Static tests were performed to obtain an understanding of the influence of biaxial loads on the fracture strength of composite materials and to provide correlation with the analytical predictions. The predicted distributions and types of damage are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. A number of fatigue tests were performed to determine the influence of cyclic biaxial loads on the fatigue life and residual strength of several composite laminates.