Investigation of Mode I and II Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of Nylon/Glass Fiber Laminates with Various Layup Orientations.

An evaluation of the interlaminar fracture toughness of polyamide/glass fiber laminates with various layups is reported. Due to large differences in thermal expansion coefficients of fiber and binder the laminates with layups where single layers are swapped exhibit high warping. A technique for avoiding this is proposed, allowing evaluating interlaminar fracture toughness of various angle interfaces. Two different layups for evaluating the Mode I and II interlaminar fracture toughness are tested. The differences of delamination behavior of a number of different-angle fiber interfaces are shown and analyzed. The applicability of the proposed testing technique is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]