Torsion of a Laminar Composite Debonded Over a Penny-shaped Area

The effect of an imperfectly bonded laminar composite is examined in terms of the intensification of the torsional stresses operative near the imperfection which is assumed to be a circular shaped area. The laminar composite is modelled by four layers of different materials with the two outer layers being infinite in height and debonding occurs at the interface of the two inner layers. The analysis based on the application of Hankel transforms and the solution of a pair of dual integral equations can be easily extended to a multilayered system. Depending on the size of the layer thickness relative to the radius of the debonded area, delamination may take place either in a stable or unstable fashion. The analytical results also indicate that the influence of lamination tends to lower the stress intensity around an interface imperfection as compared to the stress state in a homogeneous solid containing the same imperfection. Numerical results are obtained for two special laminate geometries and discussed with reference to the pertinent parameters used in the current theory of fracture mechanics.