Damage characterization of a cross-ply carbon fiber/epoxy laminate by an optical measurement of the displacement field

Using Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI), full-field displacement measurement was performed on the edge of a cracked cross-ply graphite/epoxy laminate subjected to a tensile loading. The displacement jumps corresponding to cracks are clearly visible and can be used to determine the crack opening displacement (COD) values along the cracks. The main objective of this study is to determine if the application of successive loads of increasing magnitude may have modified the existing cracks and thereby changed the COD dependence on the applied stress. Moreover, we have tested the applicability of the assumed linear elastic COD behavior in the presence of very high stress concentration at the crack tips. The profile of the opening along the crack was also studied.