Theoretical Forecasting and Experimental Validation of Damage Tolerance and Accumulation in Glass/Epoxy Laminates

Damage and damage accumulation mechanisms under cyclic loads were studied in orthotropic cross-ply composite laminates realized in S-glass fibers with epoxy resin. Five different basic mechanisms of damage were observed and evaluated making use of x-ray and dye-penetrant nondestructive techniques. They are; transverse matrix cracks, fiber failure, fiber debonding, intralaminar delamination and random disperse longitudinal cracks. The effects of these different damage mechanisms are revealed through the reduction of the mechanical properties of the composite material. A comprehensive experimental analysis of GFRP and CFRP, with two different lay-ups for each one, was made. Variations of the elastic moduli in two different directions and Poisson's ratio were measured as a function of the number of cycles, for different stress levels, under alternate loads. The basic relations, developed by Talreja et at., which permit the prediction of the reduction of the elastic moduli for a given damage state, were directly related to the number of cycles N and to the stress levels employed in the fatigue tests. Tests to evaluate an eventual frequency effect on damage accumulation processes in composite material were made. Cumulative damage tests were also conducted to analyse material response under different and alternate load spectra. A damage index based on residual normalized strain energy ratio, which can describe a global damage state, is also proposed