SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1973
STP36482S

Method for Estimating Fracture Strength of Specially Orthotropic Composite Laminates

Source

A method is presented for estimating the stress intensity factor characteristic of crack extension in a specially orthotropic advanced fiber composite laminate, based on the elastic properties and ultimate principal strengths of a lamina, the laminate construction, and the experimentally determined value of the characteristic stress intensity factor of an arbitrary angle-plied, midplane symmetric laminate. A comparison of the results obtained from this method with limited experimental data for graphite/epoxy laminates indicates that the method is quite accurate for this particular material system.

The predictive method is also used, in conjunction with experimental data, to estimate the size of a damage zone surrounding the crack tip. The implications of the size of this damage zone are discussed briefly.

Author Information

Konish, HJ
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Cruse, TA
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Swedlow, JL
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
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Details
Developed by Committee: D30
Pages: 133–142
DOI: 10.1520/STP36482S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4621-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0701-4