Fracture Mechanics of Sublaminate Cracks in Composite Laminates.

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of a fracture mechanics approach to some of the most frequently encountered matrix-dominated, sub-laminate cracks in epoxy-based composite laminates. By 'sub-laminate', it is meant that the cracks are internal to the laminate, generally invisible macroscopically; but are much larger in size than those microcracks considered in the realm of micromechanics. The origin of sub-laminate cracks is assumed to stem form the coalescence of natural flaws (also microcracks) which occur under a certain favorable laminate stress condition. Thus, the modelling of the mechanisms of sub-laminate crack initiation and propagation is essentially mechanistic and probabilistic in nature. Some specific results form several analytical/experimental investigations using graphite-epoxy laminates are presented and discussed in this paper. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA139357

Entities

People

  • A. S. D. Wang

Organizations

  • Drexel University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Composite Materials
  • Crack Tips
  • Cracks
  • Drug Abuse
  • Engineering
  • Epoxy Composites
  • Epoxy Laminates
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Graphite Epoxy Composites
  • Laminates
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Testing
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Micromechanics
  • Reinforced Plastics
  • Three Dimensional

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  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.
  • Theoretical Analysis.