Progressive failure analysis of pin-loaded carbon–epoxy woven composite plates

The present investigation deals with the failure strength and failure mode of a pinned-joint carbon–epoxy composite plate of arbitrary orientations. The main objective is to investigate the possibility of predicting the properties of the joint from the properties of the material measured with standard tests. The failure load and the failure mode are analysed numerically and experimentally. A computer program developed for such an analysis is used to calculate the failure load, the failure mode, and the propagation of failure of plate with different fiber orientation, different material properties and different geometries. Hoffman and Hashin failure criteria are used in failure analysis. Experimental results concerning damage progression and ultimate strength of the joint are obtained and compared with predictions. A good agreement between experimental results and numerical predictions is obtained.