Failure of Composite Materials

Abstract

The failure of composites has been investigated extensively from the micromechanical and macromechanical points of view. On the micromechanical scale, failure mechanisms and processes vary widely with type of loading and are intimately related to the properties of the constituent phases, i. e., matrix, reinforcement, and interface-interphase. Failure predictions based on micromechanics, even when they are accurate with regard to failure initiation at critical points, are only approximate with regard to global failure of a lamina and failure progression to ultimate failure of a multi-directional laminate. For these reasons a macromechanical approach to failure analysis is preferred.