A Review on Composite Material Failures

Abstract

This paper reviews important published literature on composite material failures. The reviewed publications were mainly taken from journals and conference proceedings. The period covered is from 1986 -1996. This literature review concludes that the problem of composite material failures is quite serious and requires a systematic effort. Eventhough, researchers in the area have developed various useful mathematical models and theories, the general approaches are still missing in their strength. IntroductionComposites are made up of a combination of two or more distinct materials and can provide superior and unique mechanical and physical properties because they combine the most desirable properties of their constituents. These constituents could be organic, inorganic, or metallic in the form of fibers, rods, particles, and so on.The interest in producing composite materials is not new, it can be traced back to ancient times to Egyptians, Chinese, and Israelites [1,2]. They all produced bricks by mixing straw with clay and in particular, the Chinese developed the pattern-welding of sabers that involved f<frging together steel and wrought iron. Similarly, the ancient Egyptians used laminated composites.Today, composites are used in diverse areas and some of the specific applications include Boeing's Model 777 commercial aircraft, the Corvette, Fiero, and A vanti automobiles, sports equipment, and boat hulls and spas [3].Currently, composites applications are considered on a broader basis; for example, for civil engineering structures such as bridges and freeway pillar reinforcements and for biomedical products such as prosthetic devices. As for the consumption of composite materials is concerned, the projected figure for thermoset and thermoplastic composites for 1988 was in order of 1.1 x 10 9 kg for the United States alone [4]. Over 60% of which was projected to be consumed by three 555 Y. M. Haddad (ed.),[555][556][557][558][559][560][561][562][563][564][565][566][567]