Fatigue crack growth in fiber reinforced plastics

Abstract Crack extension during fatigue loading is one of the primary causes of failure in engineering materials. While the fatigue crack resistance of homogeneous and even adhesive systems has received detailed study and characterization, relatively few and scattered results are available for fiber composites. One difficulty with obtaining such data for composites is their tendency to develop complex patterns of intra‐ and interlaminar damage which expand in a stable manner during fatigue. Such damage usually does not severely reduce the load carrying capacity of a structure but the complexity of the damage geometry has so far frustrated efforts to apply any unifying theories of growth. Measurement of the rate of macroscopic crack growth, through thickness crack extension, has been possible for certain composites and crack direction where the stable damage is constrained. These include cracks in 0°/90° laminates, woven fabric laminates, chopped strand mat laminates, sheet molding (SMC) materials, and short fiber reinforced thermoplastics. Macroscopic interlaminar cracks in continuous fiber systems have also received some recent attention. Fatigue crack growth in glass fiber composites for which most data are available, involves significant contributions from both static and cyclic load effects. A simple model for predicting fatigue crack growth rates from traditional S‐N curve and fracture toughness data has proven useful for certain well behaved systems. Limited study has also been made of the effects of moisture and salt water on the fatigue crack growth rate.