Abstract
Some recent experimental observations of highly dynamic crack growth events in thick unidirectional graphite fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composite plates are presented. The composite plates were symmetrically (mode-I) and asymmetrically (mode-II) loaded in a one-point bend configuration with an edge pre-notch machined in the fiber direction. The lateral shearing interferometric technique of coherent gradient sensing (CGS) was used in conjunction with high-speed photography. Symmetric, mode-I cracks initiated at 1300 m/s and subsequently accelerated up to the Rayleigh wave speed but never exceeded it. For asymmetric, Mode-II types of loading, the results reveal highly unstable and intersonic, shear-dominated crack growth along the fibers. The intersonic cracks propagated with unprecedented speeds reaching 7400 m/s, more than three times the shear wave speed of the composite, and featured a shock wave structure typical of disturbances travelling with speeds higher than one of the characteristic wave speeds in the solid.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Applied Mechanics Division, AMD |
| Publisher | ASME |
| Pages | 75-86 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Volume | 235 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0791816524 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 1999 |
| Event | Thick Composites for Load Bearing Structures - 1999 (The ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition) - Nashville, TN, USA Duration: Nov 14 1999 → Nov 19 1999 |
Other
| Other | Thick Composites for Load Bearing Structures - 1999 (The ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition) |
|---|---|
| City | Nashville, TN, USA |
| Period | 11/14/99 → 11/19/99 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering