Fractography of Polymer Composites: Current Status and Future Issues

With the increasing prevalence of polymer composites in engineering applications, invariably mechanical failures of these components are occurring. Key to addressing this is fractographic analysis; the examination of fracture surfaces to deduce information about the damage and failure of components. The fractography of isotropic materials, particularly metals, has been used as a tool for many years, and much of composites fractography draws upon knowledge developed from the study of bulk polymers. However, in composites the reinforcement constituent has a considerable influence on the matrix fracture processes whilst the fibre/matrix interface plays a key role in local initiation of failure.