Under this project scientists from the U. S. and India plan to develop reliable methods of predicting compressive strength of laminated structures when known faults of delaminations exist. Specifically the scientists, Dr. J. N. Reddy of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, and Dr. A. V. krishna Murty of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, plan to develop methods of predicting sublaminate instability, delamination growth and residual strength of laminated composite panels subjected to compressive loads. The interaction between the two scientists and their associates is aimed at development of methods for the design of fibre reinforced composite laminates subjected to compressive loads. The work will be primarily theoretical but will build on results of experimental data already generated at the IISc. Scope: Composite materials are increasingly used in a variety of structures in areas as diverse as medical prosthetic devices, electronic appliances, sports equipment, automative parts and high performance space and underwater structures. A limiting factor on their load capacities is the presence of small delaminations and their progress under certain loads. The research is timely, important and of both scientific and practical benefit. The two collaborating teams possess outstanding complementary capabilities to study the problem and the behavior of such materials. The research is likely to benefit both India and the U. S.
