Abstract
The development of matrix cracking in (0/θ/0) GFRP laminates, where θ = 45°, 54°, 75° and 90°, has been investigated. Crack initiation and propagation in the θ° ply were studied separately by using unnotched and notched samples. Details of average crack initiation/propagation strains and associated ply stresses, calculated from laminate theory, as functions of off-axis ply angle are presented and discussed for all laminates along with investigations of notch depth effects and crack growth patterns. It is suggested that to a first approximation crack propagation is governed by the transverse stress while crack initiation has a more complex and as yet unknown dependence on stress state.
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