Fibre Break Failure Processes in Unidirectional Composites. Part 3: Unidirectional Plies Included in Laminates

The purpose of these three papers is not to just revisit the modelling of unidirectional composites. It is to provide a robust framework based on physical processes that can be used to optimise the design and long term reliability of internally pressurised filament wound structures. The results given in paper Parts 1 and 2 concerning the behaviour of unidirectional composites, such as carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin, are, here, extended to the behaviour of cross-plied composites consisting of unidirectional plies orientated at different angles with respect to the loading direction. In these laminates the plies orientated parallel to the loading direction (at 0(a similar to)) control the ultimate failure of the composite. This paper shows that the development of fibre breaks in analogous to that seen in the studies described in Part 1 and 2. Clustering of fibre breaks, shown by the development of 32-plets, preceedes failure just before specimen loaded monotonically break but develop in a more stable manner when subjected to steady high level loads. The effect of separating the 0(a similar to) plies into thinner layers impedes the development of fibre breaks clusters and increases ultimate lifetimes.