ABSTRACT
Advanced fiber composites have excellent strength-to-weight and stiffness-toweight properties and are often used in strength-and stiffness-critical applications. The stiffness properties are usually calculated by means of classical lamination theory, which is widely accepted. The strength properties are not nearly as well understood. This chapter presents procedures on how to relate the strength of fiber composites to the strength of the constituent materials. Some typical fiber properties are first presented, followed by discussions of failure of unidirectional composites under tensile loading and under compressive loading. The failure of multidirectional fiber composites under multiaxial loading is then considered, and typical experimental data are presented.
