Effect of Interface Cracking on the Damage Behavior of Brittle Matrix Composites

The effect of matrix cracking and interface cracking or interface debonding on the tensile failure process of unidirectional fiber reinforced brittle matrix composites was studied using singular integral equations technique. The singular behavior at the matrix crack tips and the interface crack tips for various H-shaped crack configurations which closely resemble the actual damage patterns of the matrix composites during tensile loading was investigated. The role that the interface crack played on the tensile behavior of the brittle matrix composites was identified and discussed using stress intensity factors and the strain energy release rates.