A new approach to compressive strength modeling of fibrous composites, that bridges the micromechanics relevant to compressive failure due to fiber kinking with the global characteristics of a composite structure, is presented in this work. To analyze the mechanics of kinking and calculate the critical compressive stress, a steady state kink propagation model is utilized for the layers under compression in the fiber direction. The proposed model incorporates the influence of boundary conditions, laminate thickness and lay-up configuration, as well as the importance of the micro-geometry. The analysis results are used to gain a better understanding of the influence of the macro-geometry in addition to the micro-geometry and fiber and matrix material properties. The predictions of the model for unidirectional laminates under direct compression and cross-ply laminates under four-point bending are discussed and comparisons with some experimental results for carbon/thermoplastic composites are presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.