Anisotropic mechanical behaviour composites

Sophisticated carbon and graphite fibres are extremely anisotropic [3], which generally results in a complex mechanical behaviour of the composite on both microscopic and macroscopic scale. The geometrical arrangement of the fibres can have an even greater influence on the properties of the composite than other key points, such as the choice of the component materials or the control of the pyrolyzation process. 

The mechanical properties of laminated composites as well as their fracture behaviour have been considered in many books and papers. Interested readers are referred to the classical book on anisotropic plates by Lekhnitskiy (1968), to a review of basic mechanical problems by Tsai et al. (1980), to design and optimization methods presented by Gurdal et al. (1999) and to books by Daniel and Ishai (1994), Soutis and Beaumont (2005), and many others. 

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