Type of Ply Failure

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#1

Hi Guys,

I’m actually calculating a simulation for one of our products. I would need your experience.

If you have a ply made of a standard fiberglass woven [0,90] textile with a phenolic matrix, ply thickness would be 0,5mm (0.01968498 inches).

Under a flexion load (see Illustration), do we have:

  • a complete failure, matrix and fibers’ cracks?
  • a partial failure, only matrix’cracks?
  • a partial matrix and fibers’failure (let’s say only 50% of the fibers in the direction crack)

Thank you in advance for your help.

#2

Generally, the matrix would crack and the fibers on the upper half of the laminate would buckle. It is likely that no damage would be visible from the back side.

#3

A single ply failure, I would imagine with pheno matrix, you would get 50% failure of fibers, and i would imagine all matrix failure in the damage zone.
I’m guessing that you can’t test yourself? I don’t know much about, or have any phenolic resin.

#4

I will test it but thank for your help, performing a ply by ply failure simulation without the appropriate praxis background is not easy.