Correlation between failure and local material property in chopped carbon fiber chip‐reinforced sheet molding compound composites under tensile load

To develop further understanding towards the role of a heterogeneous microstructure on tensile crack initiation and failure behavior in chopped carbon fiber chip‐reinforced composites, uni‐axial tensile tests are performed on coupons cut from compression molded plaque with varying directions. Experimental results indicate that failure initiation is relevant to the strain localization, and a new criterion with the nominal modulus to predict the...