Delamination Growth in Angle-Ply Laminated Composites

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Abstract
Delamination, a frequently observed failure mode in composite laminate, is a key issue in structural design and integrity consideration. In this paper, the stability of delamination crack is investigated for angle-ply laminates subjected to uniform displacement and ther mal loading. Due to the complexities of the problem, a quasi three-dimensional finite ele ment method is used to obtain strain energy release rate. The effect of parameters, such as temperature drop, loading type, stacking sequence, laminate width and laminate thick ness will be considered. Also, the effect of delamination crack on the tensile strength of angle-ply laminate for small fiber orientation is evaluated by using a rule of mixtures and energy release rate concept in classical fracture mechanics. Finally, failure mode and ten sile strength are predicted and compared with known experimental data to assess the pre diction accuracy of the delamination growth model.