Mechanics of Fracture in Two-Ply Laminates

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Abstract
This paper describes a study of fracture in two-ply rubber—cord composites subjected to repeated tensile deformations. Under the conditions used, failure occurs predominantly because of the growth of cracks between the plies. A fracture mechanics approach enables the rate of crack growth to be predicted in terms of the elastic properties and dimensions of the laminate, the magnitude of the deformations and the basic crack growth characteristics of the ply rubber. The theory indicates the growth rate to be determined by the strain energy released from the central region of the laminate and to be independent of crack length once this exceeds a small value. The latter feature has been verified experimentally and the magnitudes of the observed crack growth rates are in reasonable agreement with those predicted for various deformation cycles.

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