1 - Progress in failure criteria for polymer matrix composites: A view from the first World-Wide Failure Exercise (WWFE)

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This chapter gives an account of the predictive capabilities of 19 failure criteria for two-dimensional (2D) stress analysis of composite laminates. It is based on the first phase of an activity, called the ‘World-Wide Failure Exercise’ (WWFE-1). The originators of failure theories provided an up-to-date description of their models and their correlations with relevant experimental results. Areas are highlighted where those criteria have shown a lack of consensus. The chapter provides a clear way forward through the co-ordination of two new exercises: WWFE-2 (dealing with failure under 3D (triaxial) loadings) and WWFE-3 (dealing with matrix cracking, damage and continuum mechanics).