Expert Lecture Highlight | Prof. Kenneth L. Reifsnider
After more than 30 years of rigorous experimental investigation and development of discrete damage analysis—including integrated computational mechanics—our understanding of damage in composite materials has reached remarkable depth.
Prof. Reifsnider’s lecture dives into the next frontier: the challenge of defect coupling in laminated, multiaxial composite structures. While matrix cracking and delamination growth can now be predicted with confidence, the true “sudden death” failures often arise from complex interactions among multiple defects. Until recently, both modeling and experimental tools lacked the resolution to capture these critical coupling mechanisms.
This talk outlines how recent advancements have broken this barrier, providing new capabilities to:
- Simulate defect interactions leading to fracture plane formation,
- Track material state evolution during service,
- And ultimately, predict strength and remaining life of fibrous composite laminates—either through high-fidelity analysis or from real-time material state data.
A foundational step toward smarter, safer composite structures.
Available now as part of the Global Composites Expert Webinar Series on cdmHUB’s YouTube channel.
