Statistical damage analysis of transverse cracking in high temperature composite laminates

High temperature polymer composites are receiving special attention because of their potential applications to high speed transport airframe structures and aircraft engine components exposed to elevated temperatures. In this study, a statistical analysis was used to study the progressive transverse cracking in a typical high temperature composite. The mechanical properties of this unidirectional laminate were first characterized both at room and high temperatures. Damage mechanisms of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates were studied by X-ray radiography at room temperature and in-test photography technique at high temperature. Since the tensile strength of unidirectional laminate along transverse direction was found to follow Weibull distribution, Monte Carlo simulation technique based on experimentally obtained parameters was applied to predict transverse cracking at different temperatures. Experiments and simulation showed that they agree well both at room temperature and 149 °C (stress free temperature) in terms of applied stress versus crack density. The probability density function (PDF) of transverse crack spacing considering statistical strength distribution was also developed, and good agreements with simulation and experimental results are reached. Finally, a generalized master curve that predicts the normalized applied stress versus normalized crack density for various lay-ups and various temperatures was established.