Comparison between theories and test data concerning the strength of various fibre–polymer composites

Predictions of laminate strengths made in three earlier papers are now compared with test data supplied by the organizers of an extensive comparison between many composite failure theories. Any discrepancies are identified and ascribed specifically to limitations of the tests or theories, as appropriate. The agreement is good, particularly in regard to fibre-dominated values. The capabilities in regard to predicting matrix failures are better than was anticipated, particularly for the Ten-Percent Rule, but they are definitely incomplete. Nevertheless, the comparison of the predictions by these theories with those from the theories of the other participants has yet to be made. The corresponding contributions from the other authors need to be examined, as well, to complete the evaluation of the many theories, and to identify what gaps might still exist in the overall capability to predict the strength of fibre–polymer composite laminates.