Modern engineering materials subjected to unfavorable mechanical and environmental conditions decrease in strength due to the accumulation of microstructural changes. For example, considering damage in metals we can mention creep damage, ductile plastic damage, embrittlement of steels and fatigue damage. To properly estimate the value of damage when designing reliable structures it is necessary to formulate the damage phenomenon in terms of mechanics. Then it is possible to analyse various engineering problems using analytical and computational techniques. During the last two decades the...

LIOn Delamination of Laminated Composites (a) Fiber-Reinforced Composites Considerable technological advances in the production of high-strength fibers (graphite, boron, etc.) have led to a wide use of light high-strength composite materials (graphite epoxy, boron-epoxy, etc.). It is expedient, to make thin walled composite rods, plates, and shells from such materials. Plates can be made by bonding a set of unidirectional thin fiber layers, Fig.l.l. Such plates are orthotropic, as a rule. A random short-fiber composite is shown in Fig. 1.2. Fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in...