Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Engineering Failure Analysis journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/engfailanal Fractographic study of damage mechanisms in fiber reinforced polymer composites submitted to uniaxial compression C.V. Opelt a, ⁎ ,1 , G.M. Cândido b , M.C. Rezende a,c a Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautics Institute of Technology – ITA, Praça Marechal Eduardo Gomes 50, São José dos Campos 12228- 900, SP, Brazil b Department of Aeronautics, Aeronautics Institute of Technology – ITA, Praça Marechal Eduardo Gomes 50, São José dos Campos 12228-900, SP, Brazil c Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo – UNIFESP, Rua Talim 330, São José dos Campos 12231-280, SP, Brazil ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Polymer composites Compression Fractography Damage mechanisms ABSTRACT After the advances of microscopic techniques, the literature shows an increasing number of fractographic studies of fiber reinforced polymer composites. However, the fractographic aspects of compressive failures remain slightly explored and poorly enlightened. In this context, the purpose of this work is to present some of the main mechanisms responsible for the fracture energy absorption in the case of fiber reinforced polymer composites submitted to compressive loads. To do so, this study used an extensive literature review in addition to fractographic studies of textile carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates, which were manufactured using prepreg scraps from the manufacturing waste of aeronautical industry. It was possible to identify the main damage mechanisms which occur in compressive failures of fiber reinforced polymer composites, namely microcracking, crack bridging, protrusions (not commonly reported in the literature) and fiber microbuckling leading to kink-band formation. Thus, we intend to contribute to a better understanding of the compressive behavior of polymer composites as well as of the resulting fractographic aspects. 1. Introduction The use of fiber reinforced polymer composites in replacement of conventional materials (e.g., aluminum alloys) grows with advances in manufacturing technologies [1]. Albeit, this class of materials exhibits an intricate damage process, which hinders the comprehension of their response to complex loading conditions [2]. Furthermore, depending on the microstructure of the composite and on the loading condition, damage mechanisms can interact enhancing the complexity of the fracture process [3]. In fact, a number of damage mechanisms may act absorbing energy during the fracture propagation [4], among which can be cited interfacial debonding, interfacial sliding (resulting in fiber pull-out), matrix microcracking (intralaminar or translaminar), interlaminar cracking (delamination), fiber breakage, fiber microbuckling, particle cleavage and void growth [5]. The proper un- derstanding of these damage mechanisms is essential to tailor the behavior of fiber composites to the design requirements. One example is the multiple cracking that induce pseudo strain-hardening in brittle matrix composites, as reported by Li and Leung [6]. More recently, the interaction between delamination, fiber breakage and matrix microcracking has been used to promote a pseudo- ductile behavior in fiber reinforced polymer composites submitted to tensile loads [7, 8]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.06.009 Received 16 November 2017; Received in revised form 9 June 2018; Accepted 15 June 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author. 1 Present address: College of Technological Sciences, State University of Santa Catarina, Rua Paulo Malschitzki 200, Joinville 89219-710, SC, Brazil. E-mail address: cvopelt@gmail.com (C.V. Opelt). Engineering Failure Analysis 92 (2018) 520–527 Available online 18 June 2018 1350-6307/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T