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:
s1 = sf Vf + sm Vm

Failure of the composite depends on

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

 
s  s 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 

s
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:
s1T* longitudinal tensile strength
s1C* longitudinal compressive strength
s2T* transverse tensile strength
s2C* transverse compressive strength
12* 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

s1T* 2280 1080 367 1462

s1C* 1440 620 549 2990
s2T* 57 39 367 86
s2C* 228 128 549 285
12* 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
(s1, s2, 12) exceeds the corresponding
strength in that direction.
s 1T * (s 1  0) 
s 1   C* 
 s 1 (s 1  0)
Formally, failure occurs if:
s 2T * (s 2  0) 
s 2   C* 
 s 2 (s 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 doesn’t make the
lamina weaker when stresses are added in the
other...
 Maximum stress failure envelope
s2

s2T*

s1

s1T*
s1C*

s2C*
 Orientation dependence of strength

The maximum stress criterion can be

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

s 1  s x cos2 q s2
s 2  s x sin q
2 s1
sx
 12  s x sinq cosq q 12
Orientation dependence of strength
At failure, the applied stress (sx) must be
large enough for one of the principal
stresses (s1, s2 or 12) to have reached
its failure value.
Observed failure will occur when the
minimum such stress is applied:
s 1* cos2 q 
 * 
s x  mins 2 sin q
* 2

 * 
 12 sinq cosq 
 Orientation dependence of strength

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

1500  12
*
sinq cosq
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 s 2* sin2 q
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 Poisson’s effect.
For a lamina subjected to stresses s1, s2,
12, the failure criterion is:
s 1T * , 1  0
s 1   12s 2   C *
 s 1 ,1  0
s 2T * ,  2  0
s 2   21s 1   C *
 s 2 ,  2  0
 12   12*
 Maximum strain failure envelope
For biaxial stresses (12 = 0), the failure
envelope is a parallelogram:
s2

s1
 Maximum strain failure envelope
In the positive quadrant, the maximum
stress criterion is more conservative than
maximum strain.
s2
max strain

The longitudinal tensile

stress s1 produces a
compressive strain 2.
This allows a higher value max stress
of s2 before the failure
strain is reached. s1
 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
 s 1  s 1s 2  s 2    12 
 *     *    *   1
s
 1 s1
* 2
 s 2    12 
 Tsai-Hill Failure Criterion
• A single calculation is required to determine
failure.
• The appropriate failure stress is used, depending
on whether s 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
 s 1  s 1s 2  s 2    12  1
 *     *    *   2
s
 1 s1
* 2
 s 2    12  R
 Orientation dependence of strength

The Tsai-Hill criterion can be used to

show how apparent strength depends on
orientation:

s 1  s x cos2 q s2
s 2  s x sin q
2 s1
sx
 12  s x sinq cosq q 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:
s2

s1

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: