R. Paskaramoorthy, R. G. Reid, University of the Witwatersrand, Witwatersrand, South Africa

Summary: In this study, the steady-state stresses resulting from a dynamic loading in a single fibre composite are determined with particular attention being focussed on the stress concentration in the matrix. A hybrid technique that combines the finite element method with an analytical procedure is employed to determine the stresses. Numerical results reveal that composites using fibres with a density greater than that of the matrix had dynamic stresses up to 100% greater than the static values. The results also indicate that composites with ductile matrices could experience crack initiation at points other than the fiber-matrix interface.