An overview is given of the development of methods for the prediction of fatigue driven delamination growth over the past 40 years. Four categories of methods are identified: stress/strain-based models, fracture mechanics based models, cohesive-zone models, and models using the extended finite element method. It is highlighted that most models are phenomenological, based on the observed macro-scale behaviour of test specimens. It is suggested that a more physics based approach, focusing on elucidating the mechanisms involved, is needed to come to a full understanding of the problem of delamination growth.

We demonstrate that the figure of merit for materials in piezoelectric energy harvesters does not depend on the compliance.

Current methods for prediction of fatigue crack growth are based on empirical correlations which do not take the crack growth behaviour within a single cycle into account. To improve these prediction methods, more understanding of the physical mechanisms of crack growth is required. In this research the acoustic emission technique was used to investigate the crack growth behaviour during a single fatigue cycle. It was found that crack growth can potentially occur both during loading and unloading, but only while the strain energy release rate is above a crack growth (CG) threshold value. The results suggest this CG threshold value is the same in both quasi-static and fatigue loading. Further work is necessary to fully understand the link between the received acoustic emission signals and the actual crack growth processes. Nevertheless, the paper shows the potential of acoustic emission to provide more insight into the physics of crack growth. max min , is assumed to

Current prediction methods for growth of disbonds under fatigue loading are generally based on a correlation with either the maximum strain energy release rate (SERR) or the SERR range. This paper highlights some issues with this approach. In particular, it is argued that the maximum SERR or the SERR range alone do not give sufficient information to uniquely characterize the driving force for crack growth. Furthermore it is argued that the relationship between crack growth rate and loss of strain energy should be considered on the scale of the entire load cycle. By means of disbond growth experiments it is shown that there is indeed a very strong correlation between the crack growth rate and the strain energy lost during a fatigue cycle. Unlike methods based on the SERR, this correlation is not affected by the R-ratio. Based on the found correlation a possible basis for a new approach to disbond growth prediction is suggested.