Stress analysis for small edge crack in transversely reinforced composite laminate

Stress analysis was conducted for a transversely reinforced composite laminate with an edge crack in the matrix or along an interface by the boundary element method (BEM). The laminate is submitted to the tensile stress perpendicular to the laminate in plane strain condition. The results obtained are summarized as follows; (1) When the laminate is composed of such two materials as don't show the free edge effect, the stress intensity factor (SIF) for a small edge crack coincides with that for a small inner crack. (2) In the case that the free edge effect is remarkable, when a crack is very small (or thort), the change in normalized SIFs, K₁^* (K ₁^*= K₁/K_th K_it, is SIF for a crack in a homogeneous orthotropic body) for a matrix crack and K ₁^*, K₁^* and K ₁^* for an interface crack depend on the magnitude of stress singularity by free edge effect. (3) As a crack becomes larger (or longer), K₁^* for a matrix crack and K ₁^* for an interface crack tends to converge on the constant values. The convergent values are calculated by the energy release rate for a crack in the homogeneous orthotropic body which has the same elastic constants as those of the composite macroscopically. (4) The magnitude of SIF for a small edge crack can be calculated by the stress distribution near the edge without a crack.