This major handbook is the first authoritative survey of the current understanding of fatigue behaviour in composites. It deals in detail with a wide range of problems met by designers in the aerospace, marine and structural engineering industries.

Fibre composites, like metals, exhibit a form of degradation in service which may be described as fatigue. The mechanisms by which this deterioration occurs in composites are quite different from, and much more complicated than, those which are responsible for fatigue phenomena in metals, but the problems facing the designer are similar. The challenge for the engineer is to specify materials and use them in such a way as to avoid failures within the design life of a component or structure.

It is of paramount importance for engineers to understand fatigue in composites because it can be a causative agent in design failures some of which - for example in aircraft, can be catastrophic. By increasing their knowledge and awareness of the mechanisms that result in degradation during service, and developing the ability to predict the life of a given composite under specified conditions, engineers will be able to produce materials with more desirable characteristics.

The aim of this handbook is to provide the first wide-ranging account of current research, from internationally recognised authors, into all aspects of this increasingly important field.

The book is divided into four main parts.

Part 1 gives a general introduction to fatigue in composites, providing background information on basic mechanics and analysis.

Part 2 is a more focussed review of current research on micromechanical aspects.

Part 3 gives analysis of various types of composites with respect to fatigue behaviour and testing are then duly treated.

Part 4 An in-depth coverage of life-prediction models for constant and variable stresses is then presented.

The final chapters give an overview of the wider range of problems met by designers in aerospace, marine, and structural engineering.

Compiled from contributions of some of the most eminent researchers in the field, it provides an invaluable, practical and encyclopaedic handbook for designers as well as an authoritative reference source for materials scientists.

About the author
Professor Bryan Harris graduated in Industrial Metallurgy from the University of Birmingham, subsequently taking a PhD at Cambridge University and a DSc, again from Birmingham. After working in industry for ICI Metals Division in Birmingham, followed by a spell at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Connecticut, USA, Professor Harris returned to academia, developing a keen interest in the field of composite materials. In 1976 he was appointed Professor of Materials Science at Bath University where he is now Professor Emeritus. He retains his interest in composite materials, with special emphasis on fatigue, fracture and non-destructive evaluation, but he has also at various times worked on the manufacturing of polymer-, ceramic and metal-matrix composites. From 1984-1999 he was Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Composites Science & Technology. He is currently Materials Consultant for Buro Happold Civil Engineers Ltd.


PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO FATIGUE IN COMPOSITES

A historical review of the fatigue behaviour of fibre-reinforced plastics
- Introduction
- Fatigue phenomena in fibre composites
- Concluding comments

Fatigue test methods, problems and standards
- Introduction
- Fatigue data requirements
- Fatigue testing requirements
- Fatigue test equipment
- Artefacts in fatigue testing
- Standardised test methods
- Precision data
- Data presentation
- Concluding comments

Fatigue under multiaxial stress systems
- Introduction
- Fatigue failure criteria
- Material properties degradation
- Progressive fatigue damage modelling
- Material characterization
- Experimental evaluation of the model

PART 2: MICROMECHANICAL ASPECTS OF FATIGUE IN COMPOSITES

The effects of aggressive environments on long-term behaviour
- Introduction
- Aqueous environments
- Moisture sensitivity of resins
- Thermal Spiking
- Thermomechanical response of matrix resins
- Effect of moisture on composite performance
- Fibre-dominated properties
- Role of the matrix and interface
- Environmental stress-corrosion cracking (ESCC) of GRP
- Designing for stress-corrosion resistance
- Non-aqueous environments
- Conclusions

The effect of interface on the fatigue performance of fibre composites
- Introduction
- Effect of interface parameters on fatigue performance
- Effect of other parameters that indirectly affect the interface on fatigue performance
- Effect of fatigue loading on interface
- Conclusions

Delamination fatigue
- Introduction
- The interlaminar fracture mechanics approach for fatigue
- Characterising delamination in fatigue
- Modelling a delamination
- Using fracture mechanics analysis as a design tool
- Structural integrity prediction

The fatigue of hybrid composites
- Introduction
- Comparison of fatigue data
- Materials and experimental procedures
- Results and discussion
- Fractography
- Conclusions

Non-destructive evaluation of damage accumulation
- Introduction
- Acoustic NDE techniques
- Acoustic emission
- Radiography
- Thermographic NDE methods
- Eddy currents
- Moire interferometry
- Summary and concluding remarks

PART 3: FATIGUE IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPOSITES

Short-fibre thermoset composites
- Introduction
- Structure and composition of short-fibre thermoset composites
- Static behaviour
- Fatigue behaviour
- Conclusions

Woven-fibre thermoset composites
- Introduction
- Fatigue performance of laminated composites
- Woven-fabric laminated composites
- Fatigue testing
- Fatigue damage in woven-fabric composites
- Fatigue loading: stiffness, strength and life
- Recent studies on the fatigue behaviour of woven-fabric composites
- Future trends
- Nomenclature

Fatigue of thermoplastic composites
- Introduction
- Thermoplastics
- Continuous fibre composites
- Short-fibre composites
- Future of thermoplastic composites

Fatigue of wood and wood panel products
- Introduction
- The structure and properties of wood and timber
- Fatigue life of wood and panel products
- Dynamic property changes in fatigue of wood and panel products
- Fatigue damage development in wood and panel products
- Fatigue in timber joints
- Fatigue of natural fibre composites
- Conclusions

PART 4: LIFE-PREDICTION METHODS FOR CONSTANT STRESS AND VARIABLE STRESS

Physical modelling of damage development in structural composite materials under stress
- Introduction
- A framework for understanding damage development
- A question of design rout