Assessment of failure modes in compression loaded laminates using quasi in situ computerized tomography scans

From literature it is known that the specific energy absorption of carbon fiber composites surpasses the steel equivalent [1], [2]. However, it should be noted that these values are obtained when the material fails optimally. Material defects, small off axis loadings and wrong damage initiation could lead to a significant lower energy absorption. Therefore, it is important that the material is fully understood to ensure broad adoption in the industry. This research will investigate the failure evolution for a [45,-45,0]s stacking sequences using sequential computerized tomography scans. It is seen from results that the proposed methodology works well to investigate failure evolution. Furthermore, it is seen that the failure growth is repeatable for specimen with the same layup.