Case histories

Abstract

This article describes the results of several case history studies of the failure of polymer-matrix composite (PMC) components to provide not only some representative types of failures one can encounter, but also to provide some insight into the investigative process. These case histories deal mainly with structures that exhibit an initial material and/or manufacturing defect or anomaly—failures that are most prevalent and most easily solved. Component failures traced to some initial material- and/or manufacturing-related defects seem to have fewer fracture surfaces compared with those that do not have any initial defects. In addition, more complex failures (those without defects and those having transverse fractures) often require the use of stress analysis in addition to fractographic analysis.

In the investigations presented here, final analysis often was considerably more involved than is possible to describe in a brief summary. However, the results of these investigations hopefully will enable the reader to understand the need not only for careful technical analyses, but also the need for insight, patience, persistence, and experience to solve the myriad tyes of problems related to the failure anlaysis of composite structures.