TENSILE FAILURE CRITERIA FOR FIBER COMPOSITE MATERIALS.

An analytical model of the tensile strength of fiber composite materials is developed. The analysis provides insight into the failure mechanics of these materials and defines criteria which serve as tools for preliminary design material selection and for material reliability assessment. The model incorporates both dispersed and propagation type failures and includes the influence of material heterogeneity. The important effects of localized matrix damage and post-failure matrix shear stress transfer are included in the treatment.