The treatment of Fatigue and Damage Accumulation in Composite Design

Abstract

SUMMARY The process of design has traditionally involved a specialized treatment of damage accumulation and associated fatigue phenomena, e.g. Miners Rule. The treatment of such phenomena for the case of advanced composites tends to be complicated by the existence of a multiplicity of competing failure modes. The subject assumes even greater importance when the ever expanding types of composite systems are considered, i.e. Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC's), Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC's) and Metal Matrix Composites (MMC's) to name the broader categories. All composite systems are considered herein to comprise continuous fiber reinforcements.