Influence of interface ply orientation on delamination growth in composite laminates

The standard experimental procedures for determining the interlaminar fracture toughness are designed for delamination propagation in unidirectional specimens. However, in aerospace structural components, delamination usually occurs between plies at different orientations resulting in different damage mechanisms which can increase the value...

Experimental determination of fracture toughness for delamination analysis in structural components

Delamination is an important damage mechanism in composite materials. A correct prediction of its behaviour is of great importance in the design of aerospace composite structures. Nevertheless, when using simple numerical models which do not account for the delamination migrating to other interfaces or other intralaminar damage mechanisms, the...