Comparative Study of Nonlinear Damage Accumulation Models in Stochastic Fatigue of FRP Laminates

Abstract

The objective of this investigation is to verify the applicability of a number of nonlinear damage accumulation theories in the context of composite FRP laminates subjected to simulated stochastic loadings. Although nonlinear damage accumulation methods for composite materials have been investigated for a few decades, most comparisons with experimental results have considered only two-stress-level loadings; none has considered stochastic loadings. The nonlinear damage models considered in this study are primarily those obtained as a result of the strength-deterioration and stiffness-deterioration approaches. The fatigue data used in this investigation are generated from laminated specimens made of cross-ply E-glass woven-roving fibers and vinyl ester resin. Constant-amplitude tests are conducted to obtain the material's