Composite Strength

and Failure Criteria

 Micromechanics of failure in a
unidirectional ply
In the fibre direction (1), we assume
equal strain in fibre and matrix. The
applied stress is shared:
1 = f V f + m V m

Failure of the composite depends on

whether the fibre or the matrix reaches its
failure strain first.
 Failure in longitudinal tension

Vf
1T f
 Failure in longitudinal compression
Failure is difficult to model, as it may be associated with different
modes of failure, including fibre buckling and matrix shear.
Composite strength depends not only on fibre properties, but also
on the ability of the matrix to support the fibres.
Measurement of compressive strength is particularly difficult -
results depend heavily on method and specimen geometry.
 Failure in longitudinal compression
Em


1C 2 f Vf 1 Vf
E f

Microbuckling

Shear failure mode

 Failure in transverse tension

High stress/strain
concentrations
occur around fibre,
leading to interface
failure. Individual
microcracks
eventually
coalesce...
 Failure in transverse compression
May be due to one or
more of:
compressive
failure/crushing of
matrix
compressive
failure/crushing of
fibre
matrix shear
fibre/matrix
debonding
 Failure by in-plane shear

Due to stress concentration

at fibre-matrix interface:
Five numbers are needed to characterise
the strength of a composite lamina:
1T* longitudinal tensile strength
1C* longitudinal compressive strength
2T* transverse tensile strength
2C* transverse compressive strength
* in-plane shear strength
1 and 2 denote the principal material
directions; * indicates a failure value of stress.
 Typical composite strengths (MPa)

UD CFRP UD GRP woven GRP SiC/Al

1T* 2280 1080 367 1462

1C* 1440 620 549 2990
2T* 57 39 367 86
2C* 228 128 549 285
* 71 89 97 113
 The use of Failure Criteria
It is clear that the mode of failure and hence the
apparent strength of a lamina depends on the
direction of the applied load, as well as the
properties of the material.
Failure criteria seek to predict the apparent
strength of a composite and its failure mode in
terms of the basic strength data for the lamina.
It is usually necessary to calculate the stresses in
the material axes (1-2) before criteria can be
applied.
 Maximum stress failure criterion
Failure will occur when any one of the stress
components in the principal material axes
(1, 2, 12) exceeds the corresponding
strength in that direction.
1T * ( 1 0)
1 C*
1 ( 1 0)
Formally, failure occurs if:
2T * ( 2 0)
2 C*
2 ( 2 0)
12 12
*
 Maximum stress failure criterion
All stresses are independent. If the lamina experiences
biaxial stresses, the failure envelope is a rectangle -
the existence of stresses in one direction doesnt make
the lamina weaker when stresses are added in the
other...
 Maximum stress failure envelope
2

2T*

1T*
1C*

2C*
 Orientation dependence of strength

The maximum stress criterion can be

used to show how apparent strength and
failure mode depend on orientation:

1 x cos2 2
2 x sin
2 1
x
12 x sin cos 12
Orientation dependence of strength
At failure, the applied stress (x) must be
large enough for one of the principal
stresses (1, 2 or 12) to have reached
its failure value.
Observed failure will occur when the
minimum such stress is applied:
1* cos2
*
x min 2 sin
* 2

*
12 sin cos
 Orientation dependence of strength

1* cos2 Off-axis tensile strength (E-glass/epoxy)

1500 12
*
sin cos
1250
strength (MPa)

1000
long tension
750 in-plane shear
trans tension
500

250

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
reinforcement angle 2* sin2
Daniel & Ishai (1994)
 Maximum stress failure criterion

Indicates likely failure mode.

Requires separate comparison of
resolved stresses with failure stresses.
Allows for no interaction in situations of
non-uniaxial stresses.
 Maximum strain failure criterion
Failure occurs when at least one of the
strain components (in the principal
material axes) exceeds the ultimate strain.
1T * (1 0)
1 C *
1 (1 0)
2T * ( 2 0)
2 C*
2 ( 2 0)
12 12 *
 Maximum strain failure criterion
The criterion allows for interaction of
stresses through Poissons effect.
For a lamina subjected to stresses 1, 2,
12, the failure criterion is:
1T * , 1 0
1 12 2 C *
1 , 1 0
2T * , 2 0
2 21 1 C *
2 , 2 0
12 12*
 Maximum strain failure envelope
For biaxial stresses (12 = 0), the failure
envelope is a parallelogram:
2

1
 Maximum strain failure envelope
In the positive quadrant, the maximum
stress criterion is more conservative than
maximum strain.
max strain
2
The longitudinal tensile
stress 1 produces a
compressive strain 2.
This allows a higher value max stress
of 2 before the failure
strain is reached.
1
 Tsai-Hill Failure Criterion

This is one example of many criteria

which attempt to take account of
interactions in a multi-axial stress state.
Based on von Mises yield criterion,
failure occurs if:

2 2 2
1 1 2 2 12
* * * 1

1 1
* 2
2 12
 Tsai-Hill Failure Criterion
A single calculation is required to determine failure.
The appropriate failure stress is used, depending on
whether is +ve or -ve.
The mode of failure is not given (although inspect the
size of each term).
A stress reserve factor (R) can be calculated by setting

2 2 2
1 1 2 2 12 1
* * * 2

1 1
* 2
2 12 R
 Orientation dependence of strength

The Tsai-Hill criterion can be used to

show how apparent strength depends on
orientation:

1 x cos2 2
2 x sin
2 1
x
12 x sin cos 12
 UD E-glass/epoxy
Orientation dependence of strength

1200
apparent strength (MPa)

1000

800 long tension

trans tension
600
shear
400 Tsai-Hill
200

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
angle (o )
 Tsai-Hill Failure Envelope
For all quadratic failure criteria, the
biaxial envelope is elliptical.
The size of the ellipse depends on the
value of the shear stress:
2

12 = 0
12 > 0
 Comparison of failure theories
Different theories are reasonably close
under positive stresses.
Big differences occur when compressive
stresses are present.

A conservative
approach is to
consider all
available
theories: