The effect of strain rate on the interlaminar shear strength of a carbon/epoxy cross-ply laminate: comparison between experiment and numerical prediction

A previously developed design of single-lap interlaminar shear specimen sui table for tests under impact rates of loading is reexamined and used to det ermine the interlaminar shear strength of a cross-ply carbon/epoxy material with important applications in the aircraft industry. The test has been mo delled dynamically with an explicit-finite element code. The results of thi s analysis have been used to examine the state of stress just prior to fail ure and, in terms of a quadratic stress-interaction failure criterion, to p redict the onset of delamination. The numerical predictions are compared wi th the behaviour observed experimentally. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. All rights reserved.