Damage Mechanics for Laminated Composites outlines commonly encountered damage mechanisms and failure modes in laminated composites and provides strategies for avoiding them. The book primarily analyzes two types of damage commonly observed in laminated composites, transverse matrix cracking and delamination, and is divided into 3 sections, the first providing an introduction to the topic, covering the stress-strain relationship, thermodynamics, material categorization, common experimental observations, laminate theory, and the generalized plan strain problem. The second section discusses transverse matrix cracking, including subjects such as cracked laminate analysis, Hashin’s analysis, shear lag, the ply-discount technique, continuum damage mechanics, and the effects of viscosity. The third section analyzes delamination, including energy release rates, delamination modeling, and Abaqus models, and the book concludes with a discussion of progressive failure analyses and future developments.

• Outlines the various damage mechanisms and failure modes common in laminated composites and provides guidance for how to avoid them
• Details computational models and experimental methods for testing and characterizing the mechanical properties of laminated composites
• Applies modern composite failure theories to structural design of composite structures