Damage Tolerance and Durability of Composite Materials

Composite structures must be capable of performing their function throughout a specified lifetime while meeting safety and economic objectives. These structures are exposed to a series of events that include loading, environment, and damage threats. These events—either individually or cumulatively can cause structural degradation,which, in turn, can affect the ability of the structure to perform its function. This course is aimed at providing an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of composite degradation and analytical tools to predict response to damage threats in service, including fatigue loading, impact damage, and environmental effects.