Effects of matrix cracking and hygrothermal stresses on the strain energy release rate for edge delamination in composite laminates

Composites ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Zhang ◽  
C Soutis ◽  
J Fan
1994 ◽  
Vol 338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward O. Shaffer ◽  
Scott A. Sikorski ◽  
Frederick J. McGarry

ABSTRACTThe edge delamination test (EDT) is being developed to measure the critical energy required to cause a thin film, under biaxial tensile stress, to debond from a rigid substrate[1]. The test uses circular features etched through biaxially stressed films adhered to a rigid substrate. If the stress is large enough, a stable debond ring grows radially about the feature. We use a finite element analysis to model the test, solving for the applied strain energy release rate as a function of crack length, feature hole radius and other geometrical parameters. The model identifies both mode I and mode II components of the strain energy release rate, and agrees with previous analytical solutions for the total debond energy. However, the model predicts, with a very refined mesh at the crack tip, the fracture process is pure mode I. To explore this result, critical strain energy release rates from the EDT and the island blister test (IBT) are compared. This agreement supports the model prediction that the failure process in the EDT is modeI peeling.


Crack growth in the transverse plies of cross-ply composite laminates has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Expressions for the strain energy release rate associated with the growth of cracks in model arrays have been obtained using both the compliance approach and the energy method. Measurements of compliance change with crack length were obtained using glass-epoxy laminates and compared with various predictions. Correlations between the crack growth rate and the strain energy release rate range indicate that a Paris law is applicable.


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