Problems on Delamination of Fibrous Composites (to the 110TH Anniversary of the Birth of Yu. N. Rabotnov)

The main, well-known scientific results were obtained by outstanding scientist Yu. N. Rabotnov in the field of creep theory, hereditary elasticity, damage mechanics, technical theory of shells. However, in the last years of his life, the academician Yu. N. Rabotnov was keen on some problems in the field of mechanics of fiber-reinforced composite materials. He proposed new, original strength criteria, simplified methods for ply-by-ply calculation of composite laminates. One of Yu. N. Rabotnov’s scientific passions were connected with description of specific fracture modes of layered fibrous composites having the types of delamination and splitting. On the base of energy fracture criterion, it’s possible to estimate the scale effect of strength – the dependence of critical stresses on the absolute sizes of composite members. Such models of specific fracture modes make it possible to estimate the danger of such technological defects as thin polymeric film between composite layers.