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On the Problems of Cracking and the Question of Structural Integrity of Engineering Composite Materials

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Abstract

Predicting precisely where a crack will develop in a material under stress and exactly when in time catastrophic fracture of the component will occur is one the oldest unsolved mysteries in the design and building of large engineering structures. Where human life depends upon engineering ingenuity, the burden of testing to prove a “fracture safe design” is immense. For example, when human life depends upon structural integrity as an essential design requirement, it takes ten thousand material test coupons per composite laminate configuration to evaluate an airframe plus loading to ultimate failure tails, wing boxes, and fuselages to achieve a commercial aircraft airworthiness certification. Fitness considerations for long-life implementation of aerospace composites include understanding phenomena such as impact, fatigue, creep, and stress corrosion cracking that affect reliability, life expectancy, and durability of structure. Structural integrity analysis treats the design, the materials used, and figures out how best components and parts can be joined. Furthermore, SI takes into account service duty. However, there are conflicting aims in the complete design process of designing simultaneously for high efficiency and safety assurance throughout an economically viable lifetime with an acceptable level of risk.

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Further Reading

  1. Multi-scale Modelling of Composite Material Systems. Ed. by C Soutis and P W R Beaumont. CRC/Woodhead Publishing Limited (2005).

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Acknowledgements

This paper raises some important issues and topics on structural integrity of composite materials and structures. Part is based on discussions at two Research Meetings of invited speakers organized by Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK, and US Postgraduate Naval School (Professor Y Kwon), Monterey, CA.. USA. These Meetings were sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and National Science Foundation (NSF).and their generous financial support is very much appreciated. Also, the financial support of the European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (EOARD) London in supporting these two Meetings is acknowledged. The second Meeting was also supported by The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining IOM3 (UK) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

I have drawn upon material presented and benefited from numerous conversations with the authors during the two Meetings. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Dr Alastair Johnson and Dr Brian Cox, and Professors John Whitcomb, Josef Jančář, Carlos González, Costas Soutis, Tony Bunsell, Scott Case, Glyn Davies, Hideki Sekine for providing some of the figures.

Many conversations with Professor Mike Ashby had great influence on my research in the Engineering Department at Cambridge.

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  1. Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK

    Peter W. R. Beaumont

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Correspondence to Peter W. R. Beaumont.

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Beaumont, P.W.R. On the Problems of Cracking and the Question of Structural Integrity of Engineering Composite Materials. Appl Compos Mater 21, 5–43 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-013-9356-1

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