Quantifiable analysis of the failure of advanced carbon fibre composite structures leading to improved safety factors

The increasing use of advanced composite materials means that they must now be considered as major materials for a wide variety of structures some of which will be in service for decades. There is therefore an important need to be able to quantify damage accumulation leading to failure in these materials particularly as they are often used in extreme situations for which failure must be avoided. This review shows how damage accumulation in many...