Strength of filament wound GRP pipes with surface crack

In this work, the effect of surface cracks on strength has been investigate d theoretically and experimentally for glass/epoxy filament wound pipes, wh ich are mainly used for bazooka launchers. The pipes with surface crack whi ch have several notch-aspect ratios ale and notch-to-thickness ratios a/t i n the axial direction were exposed to open-ended internal pressure. Critica l stress intensity factors were determined experimentally for several windi ng angles by tensile tests with center notched ring specimens. The strength values of pipes with surface cracks are compared with internal pressure te st results and theoretical results. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ ts reserved.