A SIMPLE-MODEL FOR FRACTURE IN A LAMINATED STRIP AND AN APPROXIMATE SOLUTION IN CLOSED-FORM

This paper presents a simple model on the fracture of a laminated stri p. Based on the method of complex variable function for solving plane elasticity and the confomal mapping technique, a closed form solution for the simplified model is constructed. The most important physical q uantity for fracture analysis - the stress intensity factor - includes analytically the effects of structure geometry and the material const ants. The analysis is very easily extended to solve the problem of mat erial nonlinear behaviour and the problem of any 2n + 1 layers with n + 1 different materials. These may provide useful insight into the fie ld of interlaminar fracture of composite materials.