Failure criteria & Failure modes

1
Strength of orthotropic lamina

The strength is defined by 5 quantities

The strength
Th t th varies strongly
i t l with
ith the direction
th di ti
The failure analysis is always done in the (L,T) frame
2
 1. Maximum stress theory

The failure occurs if one of the stresses in the natural

axes (L,T) exceeds the corresponding allowable stress.
To avoid failure, the material must satisfy the following
I
Inequalities:
liti

In compression:

Assumes that the failure modes are independent !

3
Example: Glass‐epoxy composite 
With the normalized properties:

ogarithmic scale !!
L

LT

Lo
L

T

4
 2. Maximum strain theoryy

The failure occurs if one of the strains in the natural

axes (L,T) exceeds the corresponding allowable strain.
To avoid failure, the material
To avoid failure the material must satisfy
must satisfy the following
the following
Inequalities:

In compression

If the material is elastic
linear until failure, 

5
 Comparison Maximum stress theory – Maximum strain theory

Maximum stress criterion Maximum strain criterion

In stress space

6
Expressing the maximum strain criterion in stress space:

Maximum stress
criterion 7
 Maximum strain theory:
The failure occurs if one of the following inequalities holds:
Poisson effect
Poisson effect

>
>
>
L

The maximum stress theory
and the maximum strain theoryy
Ignore the interaction between
the failure modes.
8
Tsai‐Hill criterion
 Tsai‐Hill criterion, preliminary: Von Mises criterion
Stress deviator tensor
Stress deviator

obtained by subtracting the hydrostatic stress from the stress tensor

The stress deviator has the same principal
directions as the stress tensor. The invariants
J1 , J2 and J3 of the stress deviator are defined by

Because J1=0, the stress deviator tensor

is in a state of pure shear
in a state of pure shear

9
 Von Mises criterion
Because J1=0, the stress deviator
, tensor is in a state of pure shear.
p
von Mises had the intuition that the yielding of materials begins when
the second deviatoric stress invariant J2 reaches a critical value. 

It is straightforward to determine the critical value from a uniaxial tension test:

In principal axes:

The criterion is also called the criterion of 

•Maximum distortion strain energy (Hencky) 
Octahedral shear stress
•Octahedral

10
 Maximum distortion strain energy (Hencky) 

Stress‐strain relationship

In principal axes
In principal axes:

Hydrostatic stress state: 
uniform stress:

Proportional to J2

11
 Yielding occurs when:

In plane stresses: 

12
For orthotropic materials, the criterion needs to be expressed in the material axes (L,T)
von Mises in an arbitrary (non principal) frame:

Extended to anisotropic behaviour by Hill (1948).

By analogy, Tsai‐Hill assume that failure occurs if the inequality is violated:

Plane stresses
Plane stresses:

Finally:

Consistent with T !!!
13
 Tsai‐Hill: example of glass‐epoxy composite
L

Both L and T
are in traction

Accounts for the interaction between
•Accounts for the interaction between the failure
the failure modes
•Conservative
•The maximum difference occurs at the change of failure modes
Tsai‐Hill
•One must transform the stress state in the (L,T) frame

14
von Mises in principal plane stresses:

Tsai‐Hill in plane stresses (L,T)

15
Importance of the sign of shear stress on the strength of composites

16
 Glass‐epoxy

Step 1:
Transform in
(L,T) frame:

Step 2:
Tsai‐Hill
criterion

17
 Ultimate strength

xy = 75.36 Mpa xy = 5 MPa

18
 Failure modes

•Breaking of the fibers
k of the matrix
•Microcracking f h
•Debonding (separation of the interface between matrix and fibers)
•Delamination (separation of laminae from each other)

Microcracking in glass‐reinforced epoxy

19
20
 1. Failure under longitudinale tensile load

Individual fibers break in a random manner

at less than 50% of the ultimate load. 
Depending on the type of fibers
on the type of fibers and matrix
and matrix and V
and Vf

The following failure modes are observed:

•Brittle fracture.
•Brittle with fiber pullout (matrix breaking away from the fibers).
•Shear failure of the matrix and debonding.

Glass fibers:   Vf<0.40       0.40<Vf<0.65        Vf>0.65

21
22
2. Failure under longitudinale compression load

Failure modes:
•Transverse tensile failure
•Fiber microbuckling (extension mode or shear mode)
•Shear failure
Shear failure
Vf small Vf large

23
Microbuckling in shear mode  Extension mode
(large Vf) (low Vf)

24
Based on the assumption of transverse tensile failure of the matrix,
and on the empirical formula (3.43) (composite transverse breaking strain):

one can develop a model for the longitudinal compressive stress:

At failure:
failure

Rule of mixtures:

Dominated by y
the matrix !

25
 3. Failure under transverse tensile loads

Failure modes:
Fibers perpendicular to the loading produce stress 
concentrations at the interface and in the matrix.
concentrations at the interface and in the matrix
The failure occurs because of the matrix or the 
interface  tensile failure (occasionally highly oriented
fibers may also break in the transverse direction)

26
27
4. Failure under transverse compression loads

Failure modes:
•Matrix shear failure
•Matrix shear failure plus debonding

28
5. Failure under in‐plane shear loads

Failure modes:
M i shear
•Matrix h f il
failure
•Constituent debonding

29