Boundary element analysis of singular thermal stresses in a unidirectional laminate

The residual thermal stresses at the interface corner between the elastic fiber and the viscoelastic matrix of a two-dimensional unidirectional laminate due to cooling from cure temperature down to room temperature were studied, The matrix material was assumed to be thermorheologically simple. The time-domain boundary element method was employed to investigate the nature of stresses on the interface. Numerical results show that very large stress gradients are present at the interface corner and this stress singularity might lead to local yielding or fiber-matrix debonding.