Micromechanisms of delamination failure in RTM U-beams

In a previous study, resin transfer moulded U-beams were subjected to opening tensile loads applied to the flanges. The failure behaviour was sensitive to the void content of the material. In the present study, we use optical microscopy of polished edges to observe mechanisms of failure in-situ as delaminations develop in the beam radius. Descriptions of these failure mechanisms are presented. Voids were found to facilitate the growth phase of the delamination process in the beam radius. The mechanisms described will be used in a forthcoming stress analysis to explain the experimentally observed failure behaviour of beams with different radii and void contents. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.