TugboatEng
SwinnyGG's comments about yield/ultimate are correct, if a little blunt (a bit like my responses at times
![[bigglasses] [bigglasses] [bigglasses]](/data/assets/smilies/bigglasses.gif)
). In general, composites are considered to be linear elastic to failure if loaded on the fibre direction, but there may be some features that resemble yielding but that is mainly due to resin deformation. The best design methodology is to design to a safety factor below linear limit. All of this changes with layup configurations; more fibres in the load direction or more resin dominated cross plies in the load direction; more shear loading or more axial loading.
But it is not as simple as that. As already discussed, the failure criteria for composite materials is Pandora's Box. The main issue is that failure can be by fibre fracture, fibre buckling, fibre shear as well as resin failure in tension, shear and compression. Then add in fibre disbonding from the resin.
Now I have criticised the Tsai-Hill and Tsai Wu criteria. The principle issue here is that this approach has evolved from the valid Hill failure criteria for ductile metals. This approach for composites is based on the STRESSES in each lamina. It is important to understand that the STRAINS between lamina must be consistent, but because of the different elastic moduli in the fibre direction and perpendicular to the fibre direction, the STRESSES are not consistent between layers. What is consistent between layers are STRAINS.
The issue with the Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu failure criteria is that the Hill failure criterion assumes a consistent failure mode (shear) irrespective of the loading regime. The principle criticism of Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu criteria is that the failure mode is NOT consistent for all loading regimes. In some cases, failure is by fibre fracture or fibre compression or buckling failure, or even shear failure. As with my discussion about stretching some successful injection repairs to boldly claim that ALL injection repairs are effective, then it is equally invalid to stretch the mathematical model from clear failure conditions to apply the mathematics to universal conditions. As I already pointed out the Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu criteria actually predicts a very significant INCREASE in STRENGTH under compression-compression strength as a result of changes in transverse TENSILE strength. I do not understand how a change in tensile allowables can generate an increase in compression strength. It is pure mathematical gymnastics, adn as I said, I hope it did not cause the loss of these lives.
There are strain based criteria (Hart-Smith advocated these).
The real trick with composite failure criteria is to match the failure mode with real test data, and I really acknowledge the excellent work that Mike Hinton et al did with ICCM to expose the reality in the deficiencies in this important aspect of composite technology. My understanding is that work by Jon Gosse (Boeing) actually provides a reasonable transition in failure modes under differing load regimes. But I have left that field of study years ago, so I urge readers to do their own research.
Hope this helps.
Max