Understanding damage and failure of composite materials

is critical for reliable and cost-effective engineering design. Bringing together materials mechanics and modeling, this book provides a complete guide to damage, fatigue and failure of composite materials.

Early chapters

focus on the underlying principles governing composite damage, reviewing basic equations and mechanics theory, before describing mechanisms of damage such as cracking, breakage and buckling.

Subsequent chapters

the physical mechanisms underlying the formation and progression of damage under mechanical loads are described with ample experimental data, and micro- and macro-level damage models are combined.

Fatigue of composite materials

is discussed using fatigue-life diagrams. While there is a special emphasis on polymer matrix composites, metal and ceramic matrix composites are also described.

Design methods

for more reliable design of composite structures, this is a valuable resource for engineers and materials scientists in industry and academia.