Failure of fiber-reinforced composite laminates under longitudinal compression

Abstract

A micro-mechanics approach is put forward to predict the fiber kink inclination angle and the strength of a unidirectional composite under longitudinal compression. Internal stresses of constituent materials in the kink-band are calculated through Bridging Model; thus, only the constituent fiber and matrix properties of the composite are needed. Considering the non-uniform stress distribution caused by the embedded fiber, the homogenized stresses of the matrix are converted into true values with stress concentration factors before being used for failure analysis. The definition and application of stress concentration factors are introduced. A failure criterion based on Mohr’s theory is established to determine the orientation of potential failure surface and the failure situation of matrix, whereas a maximum normal stress failure criterion is used to detect the fiber breakage. The longitudinal compressive strength of a laminate is defined as the applied load at the moment when a failure of whichever constituent materials occurs first. The practicability and accuracy of the theory have been verified with a comparison between the predictions and the measurements obtained from the worldwide failure exercises and some other literatures.