Bringing together materials mechanics and modelling, this book provides a complete guide to damage mechanics of composite materials for engineers.

Understanding damage and failure of composite materials is critical for reliable and cost-effective engineering design. Bringing together materials mechanics and modeling, this book provides a complete guide to damage, fatigue and failure of composite materials. Early chapters focus on the underlying principles governing composite damage, reviewing basic equations and mechanics theory, before describing mechanisms of damage such as cracking, breakage and buckling. In subsequent chapters, the physical mechanisms underlying the formation and progression of damage under mechanical loads are described with ample experimental data, and micro- and macro-level damage models are combined. Finally, fatigue of composite materials is discussed using fatigue-life diagrams. While there is a special emphasis on polymer matrix composites, metal and ceramic matrix composites are also described. Outlining methods for more reliable design of composite structures, this is a valuable resource for engineers and materials scientists in industry and academia.

This monograph presents recent research findings on fracture properties and behavior of the composites, and their damage and cracking process under both quasi-static and impact loading conditions. Theoretical treatment, experimental investigation and numerical simulation aspects of the mechanics of composites, including sandwich structures are included.

The advantages of composite materials include a high specific strength and stiffness, formability, and a comparative resistance to fatigue cracking and corrosion. However, not forsaking these advantages, composite materials are prone to a wide range of defects and damage that can significantly reduce the residual strength and stiffness of a structure or result in unfavorable load paths. Emphasizing defect identification and restitution, Defects and Damage in Composite Materials and Structures explains how defects and damage in composite materials and structures impact composite component performance. Providing ready access to an extensive, descriptive list of defects and damage types, this must-have reference: Examines defect criticality in composite structures Recommends repair actions to restore structural integrity Discusses failure modes and mechanisms of composites due to defects Reviews NDI processes for finding and identifying defects in composite materials Relating defect detection methods to defect type, the author merges his experience in the field of in-service activities for composite airframe maintenance and repair with indispensable reports and articles on defects and damage in advanced composite materials from the last 50 years.

The papers in this volume present basic concepts and new developments in failure and damage analysis with focus on advanced materials such as composites, laminates, sandwiches and foams, and also new metallic materials. Starting from some mathematical foundations (limit surfaces, symmetry considerations, invariants) new experimental results and their analysis are shown. Finally, new concepts for failure prediction and analysis will be introduced and discussed as well as new methods of failure and damage prediction for advanced metallic and non-metallic materials. Based on experimental results the traditional methods will be revised.

Damage Modeling of Composite Structures: Strength, Fracture, and Finite Element Analysis provides readers with a fundamental overview of the mechanics of composite materials, along with an outline of an array of modeling and numerical techniques used to analyze damage, failure mechanisms and safety tolerance. Strength prediction and finite element analysis of laminated composite structures are both covered, as are modeling techniques for delaminated composites under compression and shear. Viscoelastic cohesive/friction coupled model and finite element analysis for delamination analysis of composites under shear and for laminates under low-velocity impact are all covered at length. A concluding chapter discusses multiscale damage models and finite element analysis of composite structures. Integrates intralaminar damage and interlaminar delamination under different load patterns, covering intralaminar damage constitutive models, failure criteria, damage evolution laws, and virtual crack closure techniques Discusses numerical techniques for progressive failure analysis and modeling, as well as numerical convergence and mesh sensitivity, thus allowing for more accurate modeling Features models and methods that can be seamlessly extended to analyze failure mechanisms and safety tolerance of composites under more complex loads, and in more extreme environments Demonstrates applications of damage models and numerical methods

Numerical Modelling of Failure in Advanced Composite Materials comprehensively examines the most recent analysis techniques for advanced composite materials. Advanced composite materials are becoming increasingly important for lightweight design in aerospace, wind energy, and mechanical and civil engineering. Essential for exploiting their potential is the ability to reliably predict their mechanical behaviour, particularly the onset and propagation of failure. Part One investigates numerical modeling approaches to interlaminar failure in advanced composite materials. Part Two considers numerical modelling approaches to intralaminar failure. Part Three presents new and emerging advanced numerical algorithms for modeling and simulation of failure. Part Four closes by examining the various engineering and scientific applications of numerical modeling for analysis of failure in advanced composite materials, such as prediction of impact damage, failure in textile composites, and fracture behavior in through-thickness reinforced laminates. - Examines the most recent analysis models for advanced composite materials in a coherent and comprehensive manner - Investigates numerical modelling approaches to interlaminar failure and intralaminar failure in advanced composite materials - Reviews advanced numerical algorithms for modeling and simulation of failure - Examines various engineering and scientific applications of numerical modelling for analysis of failure in advanced composite materials