The fracture toughness of fibre composites

Strength and toughness are related but different properties. A material may be strong but brittle or tough but weak. Toughness parameters are useful for comparing qualitively the way materials behave under shock conditions. One particular toughness parameter, the fracture surface energy, can sometimes be used as a quantitative design parameter through the use of linear elastic fracture mechanics. The applicability of this approach to...