Local Delamination Growth in Layered Systems Under Compressive Load

This paper addresses the problem of delamination growth prior to its buckling using mathematical techniques appropriate for mixed boundary value problems. The formulation presented herein does not require buckling as a necessary condition for delamination growth. By employing the stability equations of elasticity theory, solutions to the problem of an infinite layer with a slightly imperfect circular delamination subjected to axisymmetric and uniaxial in-plane compressive loading are presented. This approach permits the determination of the stress intensity factors under specified initial imperfections for applied compressive stress.