THE MECHANICAL-BEHAVIOR OF AN ALUMINA CARBON EPOXY LAMINATE/

An experimental study has been made of a laminate consisting of monoli thic thin alumina plates alternating with unidirectional carbon/epoxy (C/E) prepreg tapes. The main advantages of this system over the tradi tional means of reinforcing ceramics, are the avoidance of large flaws due to processing, which occur in fiber reinforced brittle matrix com posites, and the nearly isotropic behavior under biaxial loading. In a ddition, the multiple fracture mechanism occurring in the system gives rise to pseudo ductile behavior and enhanced strain energy dissipatio n. The mechanical behavior of the laminate is explored. The effects of the number of layers, volume fraction and transverse properties are a lso investigated. The loss of stiffness with increase of the applied s train is estimated using a simple shear lag theory, which includes the plastic behavior of the interface.