01 Abr New publication on the translaminar fracture toughness of laminated composites
The paper entitled “Should the translaminar fracture toughness of laminated composites be represented by the R or the J curve? A comparison of their consistency and predictive capability” has been recently published by AMADE researchers at the Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing Journal (Volume 156, 106867).
The translaminar fracture toughness of laminated composites can be determined experimentally assuming either linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) or cohesive zone model (CZM) hypotheses. Each theoretical frame is different in terms of complexity and predictive capabilities. To clarify the latter point, we derived the 𝑅(𝛥𝑎) (LEFM) and 𝐽(𝜔) (CZM) curves from a set of published results on over-height compact tension fracture specimens of different sizes. Then, these curves were used to predict the strength of other coupons of the same material (geometrically similar, scaled, open hole and center cracked specimens). Since the idealization of the fracture phenomena in cohesive zone models is more realistic than in LEFM, the fracture property so obtained is more independent from the size of the specimen used to measure it and its predictive capability embraces a wider range of sizes and geometries.
The financial support from the grant RTI2018-097880-B-I00 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación 𝑦 Universidades is acknowledged. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier.
This is an open access article available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2022.106867
