In-Service Delaminations in FRP Structures under Operational Loading Conditions: Are Current Fracture Testing and Analysis on Coupons Sufficient for Capturing the Essential Effects for Reliable Predictions?

Quasi-static or cyclic loading of an artificial starter crack in unidirectionally fibre-reinforced composite test coupons yields fracture mechanics data—the toughness or strain-energy release rate (labelled G)—for characterising delamination initiation and propagation. Thus far, the reproducibility of these tests is typically between 10 and...

Cyclic fatigue fracture of composites: What has testing revealed about the physics of the processes so far?

Where for metallic materials fatigue fracture testing has contributed significantly to understanding macroscopic and microscopic fatigue failure, the understanding of fatigue fracture in fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) still seems limited. It appears that the research on fatigue in FRPs raises more questions, rather than providing a framework...