Prediction of compressive failure in laminated composites at room and elevated temperature

An experimental and analytical investigation of the notched strength of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite laminates subjected to remote uniaxial and biaxial loads is presented. Experimental results pertaining to failure mechanisms, critical loads, and critical strains for cross-ply and quasi-isotropic laminates at room and elevated temperature (200degreesC) are presented. A micromechanics based finite element analysis that uses readily available constituent properties for predicting notched strength of general multilayered composite laminates is developed and used to predict the experimentally measured failure loads. Good agreement between experiment and analysis is reported. The present methodology is an attempt to remove the empirical nature of composite strength prediction.