The concept of fracture mechanics is applied to analyze the brittle fracture of unidirectional composites. The analytical prediction based on the newly developed Sc-theory agrees well with the experimental data on Scotchply 1002 where crack propagation occurs along the fiber direction. The Sc-theory represents a departure from the classical stress-intensity factor Kc concept in that it is designed to treat the mixed mode fracture problem while the Kc-theory is limited to Mode I crack extension.
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