Analysis of an Anisotropic Composite Laminated with a Part-Through Crack

Abstract

An anisotropic composite laminate containing a part-through crack parallel to the fiber direction is analyzed. The composite laminate is modeled as an assmbly of cracked and uncracked plates bonded by a thin resin-rich layer. The cracked plate is considered to contain a through crack of finite length along the fiber direction. The problem is reduced to a pair of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. By solving these equations numerically the mixed mode stress intensity factors K1and K2 in the cracked plate are calculated for various fiber orientatons. The in-plane stresses of the cracked plate are calculated to see whether the finite region used to solve these equations is adequate.