Fiber reinforced polymer composites are an extremely broad and versatile class of material.Their high strength coupled with lightweight leads to their use wherever structural efficiency is at a premium. Applications can be found in aircraft, process plants, sporting goods and military equipment. However they are heterogeneous in construction and antisotropic, which makes making strength prediction extremely difficult especially compared to that of a metal. This book brings together the results of a 12year worldwide failure exercise encompassing 19 theories in a single volume. Each contributor describes their own theory and employs it to solve 14 challenging problems. The accuracy of predictions and the performance of the theories are assessed and recommendations made on the uses of the theories in engineering design. All the necessary information is provided for the methodology to be readily employed for validating and benchmarking new theories as they emerge. Brings together 19 failure theories, with many application examples. Compares the leading failure theories with one another and with experimental data Failure to apply these theories could result in potentially unsafe designs or over design.

Fiber reinforced polymer composites are an extremely broad and versatile class of material.Their high strength coupled with lightweight leads to their use wherever structural efficiency is at a premium. Applications can be found in aircraft, process plants, sporting goods and military equipment. However they are heterogeneous in construction and antisotropic, which makes making strength prediction extremely difficult especially compared to that of a metal. This book brings together the results of a 12year worldwide failure exercise encompassing 19 theories in a single volume. Each contributor describes their own theory and employs it to solve 14 challenging problems. The accuracy of predictions and the performance of the theories are assessed and recommendations made on the uses of the theories in engineering design.All the necessary information is provided for the methodology to be readily employed for validating and benchmarking new theories as they emerge.Brings together 19 failure theories, with many application examples.Compares the leading failure theories with one another and with experimental dataFailure to apply these theories could result in potentially unsafe designs or over design.

Written by Puck's pupil and appointed successor Martin Knops, this book presents Alfred Puck ́s failure model, which, among several other theories, predicts fracture limits best and describes the failure phenomena in FRP most realistically – as confirmed within the "World-wide Failure Exercise". Using Puck ́s model the composite engineer can follow the gradual failure process in a laminate and deduce from the results of the analysis how to improve the laminate design.

Updated and improved, Stress Analysis of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials, Hyer's work remains the definitive introduction to the use of mechanics to understand stresses in composites caused by deformations, loading, and temperature changes. In contrast to a materials science approach, Hyer emphasizes the micromechanics of stress and deformation for composite material analysis. The book provides invaluable analytic tools for students and engineers seeking to understand composite properties and failure limits. A key feature is a series of analytic problems continuing throughout the text, starting from relatively simple problems, which are built up step-by-step with accompanying calculations. The problem series uses the same material properties, so the impact of the elastic and thermal expansion properties for a single-layer of FR material on the stress, strains, elastic properties, thermal expansion and failure stress of cross-ply and angle-ply symmetric and unsymmetric laminates can be evaluated. The book shows how thermally induced stresses and strains due to curing, add to or subtract from those due to applied loads.Another important element, and one unique to this book, is an emphasis on the difference between specifying the applied loads, i.e., force and moment results, often the case in practice, versus specifying strains and curvatures and determining the subsequent stresses and force and moment results. This represents a fundamental distinction in solid mechanics.

The proposed book focusses on failure of polymer composites, ways to enhance failure resistance, constituents and repair including associated complexities. It discusses characterization and experimentation of the composites under loading and topics as green composites, advanced materials and composite joint failure, buckling failure and so forth.

Structural Health Monitoring of Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites provides detailed information on failure analysis, mechanical and physical properties, structural health monitoring, durability and life prediction, modelling of damage processes of natural fiber, synthetic fibers, and natural/natural, and natural/synthetic fiber hybrid composites. It provides a comprehensive review of both established and promising new technologies currently under development in the emerging area of structural health monitoring in aerospace, construction and automotive structures. In addition, it describes SHM methods and sensors related to specific composites and how advantages and limitations of various sensors and methods can help make informed choices. Written by leading experts in the field, and covering composite materials developed from different natural fibers and their hybridization with synthetic fibers, the book's chapters provide cutting-edge, up-to-date research on the characterization, analysis and modelling of composite materials.

Fiber reinforced composite materials encompass a wide range of material classes from reinforced glasses, plastics, and rubbers through to more recently developed metals and ceramics. Fundamentals of Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials is a comprehensive and authoritative book that introduces the topic with a brief history of composite development, a review of composite applications, the types of fibre used, and their respective indiviual properties. An entire chapter considers organic matrices and their behavior, reviewing all of the most commonly encountered polymer matrix systems. Composite manufacturing techniques are then discussed, including those methods employed in the production of advanced metal and ceramic matrix composites. The remaining chapters are devoted primarily to theoretical treatments of composite behavior, with emphasis on the understanding of damage mechanisms such as cracking, delamination, and fibre breakage. Where a mathematical approach is required, an attempt is made to relate the sometimes rather abstract notions back at the structure of the material being discussed. With extensive sets of sample problems accompanying each chapter, Fundamentals of Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials is ideally suited to undergraduate and graduate students of materials science, structural, mechanical, and aeronautical engineering, polymer science, metallurgy, physics and chemistry. It will also be of use as a reference to researchers working with composite materials and material scientists in general.

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.

This study covers impact response, damage tolerance and failure of fibre-reinforced composite materials and structures. Materials development, analysis and prediction of structural behaviour and cost-effective design all have a bearing on the impact response of composites and this book brings together for the first time the most comprehensive and up-to-date research work from leading international experts. - State of the art analysis of impact response, damage tolerance and failure of FRC materials - Distinguished contributors provide expert analysis of the most recent materials and structures - Valuable tool for R&D engineers, materials scientists and designers