Design of fiber reinforced laminates for maximum fatigue life

Composite materials are used in many structural applications due to their superior properties, e. g., strength-to-weight ratio. Composite structures also offer great flexibility and stiffness in design, allowing change of the material system in many ways like number of fibers, different lay-up configurations, etc. With the increased use of composites it has been understood that their deformations in terms of fatigue is more complex than that of metals.