...JW Chin; T Nguyen; K Aouadi A major hindrance to the acceptance of polymer composites in civil engineering applications is the susceptibility of the polymeric matrix to weathering. The polymer matrix is prone to degradation initiated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, moisture, temperature, and high pH...

... and moisture stresses to the strain energy released. Examples are calculated for the strain energy release rate associated with local delaminations originating at 90° and angle-ply (non 90°) matrix-ply cracks in glass-epoxy and graphite-epoxy laminates. The solution developed may be used to assess the relative...

...TK O'Brien; IS Raju; DP Garber A laminated plate theory analysis is developed to calculate the strain energy release rate associated with edge delamination growth in a composite laminate. The analysis includes the contribution of residual thermal and moisture stresses to the strain energy released...

... of the critical strain energy release rate G c was measured for mixed-mode crack propagation along the fibers in off-axis specimens and in rail shear tests. By varying the off-axis angle, crack propagation occurred under different K I / K II ratios. It was observed that both moisturization of T300/1034 and change...