Initiation and propagation of transverse cracking in composite laminates

The matrix cracking transverse to loading direction is usually one of the most common observations of damages in composite laminates. The initiation and propagation of transverse cracks have been a long-standing issue in the last few decades. In this paper, a three-dimensional stress analysis method based on the state space approach is used to compute the stresses, including the inter-laminar stresses near transverse cracks in laminated composites. The stress field is then used to estimate the energy release rate, from which the initiation and propagation of transverse cracking are predicted. The proposed method is illustrated by numerical solutions and is validated by available experimental results. To the best knowledge of the authors, the predictions of crack behaviour for non-symmetrical laminates and laminates subject to in-plane shearing are presented for the first time in the literature.