Fatigue damage analysis of fiber-reinforced polymer composites—A review

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are becoming suitable and substantial materials in the repair and replacement of conventional metallic materials because of their high strength and stiffness. These composites undergo various types of static and fatigue loads during service. One of the major tests that conventional and composite materials have to experience is fatigue test. It refers to the testing for the cyclic behavior of materials. Composite materials are different from metals, as they indicate a distinct behavior under fatigue loading. The fatigue damage and failure mechanisms are more intricate in composite materials than in metals in which a crack initiates and propagates up to fracture. In composite materials, several micro-cracks initiate at the primary stage of the fatigue growth, resulting in the initiation of various types of fatigue damage. Fiber volume fraction is an important parameter to describe a composite laminate. The fatigue strength increases with the increase of the fiber volume fraction to a certain level and then decreases because of the lack of enough resin to grip the fibers. The fatigue behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer composites depends on various factors, e.g., constituent materials, manufacturing process, hysteresis heating, fiber orientation, type of loading, interface properties, frequency, mean stress, environment. This review paper explores the effects of various parameters like fiber type, fiber orientation, fiber volume fraction, etc. on the fatigue behavior of fiber-reinforced polymer composites.