Special Issues

Damage and Fracture of Polymer Composites

Submission Deadline: 31 December 2025 View: 670 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editors

Dr. MD Salah Uddin

Email: uddin_m@utpb.edu

Affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Texas Permian Basin, 4901 E University Blvd, Odessa, TX 79762, USA

Homepage:

Research Interests: Multi-scale modelling, heterogeneous material

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Summary

Polymer composites are essential in industries such as aerospace, automotive, construction, and marine due to their high specific strength and modulus. Understanding the mechanisms of damage initiation and fracture in these materials is crucial for enhancing their performance and reliability.


Damage in composites begins at the microstructural level and propagates through complex mechanisms influenced by factors like the dispersion, volume fraction, size, and shape of the reinforcing agents within the matrix. This process may involve material and geometric nonlinearities, as well as plasticity.


Stress transmission from the load-bearing reinforcing elements to the matrix, progressing through the lamina and laminate to the component level, often encompasses multi-scale phenomena. Experimental characterizations can be used to investigate continuum damage mechanics (CDM) corresponding to the failure of matrix, reinforcing agents, or interfacial decohesion. 


A fracture mechanics approach can be employed to study crack propagation in composites under various loading conditions. While the composites are under extreme applications with severe atmospheric conditions such as high temperature or with the presence of moisture, the failure mode could be complex and may involve mixed modes of failure.


This special issue aims to explore the damage and fracture behaviors of polymer composites under diverse loading conditions using experimental techniques.


Keywords

Damage, fracture, composites, interfacial decohesion, anisotropic, and cohesive zone

Published Papers


  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    The Failure Analysis of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Epoxy Composites against Impact Loading with Numerical and Experimental Investigations

    Md Salah Uddin
    Journal of Polymer Materials, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2025.070688
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Damage and Fracture of Polymer Composites)
    Abstract Carbon fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs) have a wide range of applications in the aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors. A higher specific strength-to-weight ratio is desired in high-performance applications. The failure mechanism of CFRCs involves multiscale phenomena, such as failure that can occur at the matrix, fibers, interface, layers, lamina, and laminates. When an impactor hits the CFRCs, the design involves analyzing each of these stages to prevent failure and optimize the properties of CFRCs under various loading conditions. A numerical model was employed to predict the fracture toughness of CFRCs with varying weight fractions and orientations.… More >

  • Open Access

    ARTICLE

    Impact and Residual Flexural Properties of 3D Integrated Woven Spacer Composites

    Mahim Masfikun Hannan, Deng’an Cai, Xinwei Wang
    Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.42, No.3, pp. 873-891, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2025.064978
    (This article belongs to the Special Issue: Damage and Fracture of Polymer Composites)
    Abstract This study investigates the low-velocity impact and post-impact flexural properties of 3D integrated woven spacer composites, focusing on their orthotropic behavior when tested along two principal directions, i.e., warp (X-type) and weft (Y-type) directions. The same composite material was tested in these orientations to evaluate the differences in impact resistance and residual bending strength. Specimens were fabricated via vacuum-assisted molding and tested at 2, 3, 5, and 7 J impact energies using an Instron Ceast 9350 drop-weight impact testing machine, in accordance with ASTM D7136. Post-impact flexural tests were performed using a four-point bending method… More >

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