The fatigue damage process of FRP laminates with U and V type notches.

Abstract

This paper deals with the fatigue damage process of glassfiber reinforced polyester laminates with U and V type notches. It is shown from experimental results that the relationship between the applied stress/tensile strength ratio and fatigue life is the same on the whole, regardless of fiber content. In order to explain these fatigue behaviors, a simple fatigue and residual strength degradation model is proposed to predict the fatigue life under pulsating tensile loadings. The prediction of fatigue life by a numerical approach using the proposed fatigue damage model agrees well with the experimental data.