Deformation and progressive failure behavior of woven-fabric-reinforced glass/epoxy composite laminates under tensile loading at cryogenic temperatures

This paper focuses on understanding the deformation and progressive failure behavior of glass/epoxy plain weave fabric-reinforced laminates subjected to uniaxial tension at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic tensile tests were conducted on the woven-fabric laminates, and the damage development during loading was characterized by AE (acoustic emission) measurements. A finite element model for progressive failure analysis of woven-fabric composite panels was also developed, and applied to simulate the “knee” behavior in the stress-strain responses and the damage behavior in the tensile test specimens. Failure of the epoxy resin matrix in the transverse fiber bundle was predicted to occur using the maximum strain failure criterion. The effect of strain concentrations due to the fabric architecture on the failure strain of the material was considered by incorporating the SVF (strain variation factor) from the meso-scale analysis of a woven-fabric composite unit into the macro-scale analysis of the specimens. A comparison was made between the finite element predictions and the experimental data, and the agreement is good.