1996 Volume 45 Issue 6Appendix Pages 111-116
A new scheme for estimating the intralaminar fracture toughness is proposed. Recent research on the transverse cracking damage in crossply composite laminates suggests the use of the energy-release rate (ERR) of the 90° layer as the fracture toughness of the 90° layer. A brief survey of the authors' formulation of transverse cracking damage is presented, which shows that the ERR of the 90° layer is constant during damage progress in spite of the fact that the transverse cracking is a stochastic process. The ERR of the 90° layer is a constant which completely characterizes the damage evolution process. Some benefits of using the ERR of the 90° layer as a measure of the intralaminar fracture toughness are discussed in comparison with the other parameters such as the transverse strength, the crack resistance and the ERR of the whole laminate.
