Defects in composite structures: Its effects and prediction methods - A comprehensive review

The principal aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive literature survey on the defects, like debonds/delamination in composite joints/structures, focusing on the effect of defects, its growth initiation and prediction methods in fibre reinforced plastics. The effects of delaminations, its size, shape and position have been extensively studied over the past few decades. Very little attention has been paid in the area of adhesively bonded joints with closed debonds. The phenomena associated with debond in adhesively bonded composite joints require additional studies in order to allow a better understanding of the behaviour of this category when subjected to uni-axial compression. Recently virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) and cohesive zone modelling (CZM) are used as promising tools for the prediction of defects onset and its growth initiation. In this paper a comprehensive review on the prediction methods and experimental techniques are carried out and presented for the application in this field of study.