Mechanics of failure of composite materials
Composite materials are both inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Both of these characteristics affect the internal stress distributions since inhomogeneity involves variations in both strength and stiffness. The fracture mechanics of nonuniform materials are considered, taking into account the effect of nonuniformity on stress distributions near the crack tip, predicted yield zones in nonuniform and uniform materials, and the fracture of a center-notched unidirectional specimen. The mechanics of failure of laminated materials is discussed. It is found that the development of damage in a laminate with increasing load and, possibly, increasing numbers of cycles of loading is peculiar to the laminate in question, i.e., the material system, the stacking sequence, and the geometry. Approaches for monitoring damage development are also described.