Fatigue Response of a Host Structure with Interlaced Embedded Devices

A structural tailoring technique known as interlacing was applied to [0'](24T) graphite/epoxy specimens. Glass slides, representing inert actuators or sensors, were embedded using three different interlacing configurations that are defined by the location of the continuous and discontinuous plies through the laminate thickness. Twenty specimens were loaded in tension-tension fatigue and inspected at regular intervals to monitor damage initiation and progression. The results of this research demonstrated that the onset of damage can be delayed and the progression of delamination can be impeded by distributing the material discontinuity of the inclusion through the thickness via interlacing.