Interlaminar fracture of multidirectional glass/epoxy laminates under mixed-mode I + II loading

The mixed-mode I + II interlaminar fracture of multidirectional glass/epoxy laminates is investigated. Mixed-mode bending (MMB) tests were performed on specimens with delaminations in 0/θ-type interfaces, with θ varying from 0 to 90°. Preliminary three-dimensional finite-element analyses validated the beam theory model (BTM) used for analysing experimental data. The compliances measured are in a good agreement with BTM predictions. The total critical energy release rate G_c varies linearly with the mode II ratio G_II/G, although some discrepancies are observed in the high-mode II results for the 0/45 and 0/90 specimens. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 349–366, May–June, 2007.