Damage Development in Hybrid Composite Laminates under Three-point Bending at Cryogenic Temperatures

This paper studies the damage behavior and interlaminar shear properties of hybrid composite laminates subjected to bending at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic short beam shear tests were performed on hybrid laminates combining woven glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites with polyimide films, and microscopic observations of the specimens were made after the tests. A progressive damage analysis was also conducted to simulate the initiation and growth of damage in the specimens and to determine the interlaminar shear strength based on the maximum shear stress in the failure region. The predicted load-deflection curve and damage pattern show good agreement with the test results, and the numerically determined interlaminar shear strength is higher than the apparent interlaminar shear strength.