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The Effects of Laminate Thickness on the Fracture Behavior of Composite Laminates

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Composite Structures 2

Abstract

The relationship between both fracture toughness and the development of crack-tip damage as a function of specimen thickness was investigated. Fracture toughness was determined experimentally using center-cracked tension specimens for [0/±45/90]ns, and [0/90]ns laminates, where ns means multiple layers with the same repeated sequence and symmetric about the midplane. Laminate thicknesses ranged from 8 plies to 96 plies. As with isotropic metals, fracture toughness was found to decrease with increasing specimen thickness and asymptotically approached a lower bound. The crack tip damage in the [0/±45/90]ns laminate does not appear to be a function of thickness. However, there are differences in the damage of the [0/90]2sand [0/90]8s laminates and associated differences in fracture toughness.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Science and Mechanics Department, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA

    C. E. Harris & D. H. Morris

Authors
  1. C. E. Harris
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  2. D. H. Morris
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Paisley College of Technology, Scotland

    I. H. Marshall

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© 1983 Applied Science Publishers Ltd

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Harris, C.E., Morris, D.H. (1983). The Effects of Laminate Thickness on the Fracture Behavior of Composite Laminates. In: Marshall, I.H. (eds) Composite Structures 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6640-6_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6640-6_36

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-6642-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-6640-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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