Influence of interface ply orientation on delamination growth in composite laminates

The standard experimental procedures for determining the interlaminar fracture toughness are designed for delamination propagation in unidirectional specimens. However, in aerospace structural components, delamination usually occurs between plies at different orientations resulting in different damage mechanisms which can increase the value of the fracture toughness as the delamination propagates. Generally, numerical analyses employ the value...