Mode I stress intensity factor for cracked thin-walled composite beams

In this paper, we present an analytical method to determine the mode I stress intensity factor for thin-walled beams made of laminated composites. The technique relies on the concept of crack surface widening energy release rate, which is expressed in terms of the G* integral and thin-walled beam theory. In the vicinity of the crack tip, a solution of the G* integral is obtained employing stress and displacement fields derived for materials with general orthotropy. The effect of warping is taken into account. This is a common feature in thin-walled beams which cannot be neglected, especially when flexural–torsional loads are present.The model shows a good agreement with finite element results. It is shown that, although the approaches developed for isotropic materials may be useful in the treatment of orthotropic problems, they may not yield good results for some typical lamination sequences.