The effect of through-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar crack propagation: A computational micromechanics approach

L F Varandas, A. Arteiro, Miguel A. Bessa, A R Melro, G. Catalanotti*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

30 Citations (Scopus)
284 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A micromechanics framework for modelling the mode II interlaminar crack onset and propagation in fibre-reinforced composites is presented with the aim of i) modelling the micro-scale failure mechanisms that underlie interlaminar crack propagation, and ii) determining the effect of the through-thickness pressure on mode II fracture toughness. An algorithm for the generation of the fibre distribution is proposed for the generation of three-dimensional Representative Volume Elements (RVEs). Appropriate constitutive models are used to model the different dissipative effects that occur at crack propagation. Numerical predictions are compared with experiments obtained in previous investigations: it is concluded that the proposed micromechanical model is able to simulate conveniently the interlaminar crack propagation and to take into account the effect of the through-thickness pressure on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)326-334
Number of pages9
JournalComposite Structures
Volume182
Early online date18 Sept 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Dec 2017

Keywords

  • Delamination
  • Fracture toughness
  • Computational mechanics
  • Finite element analysis (FEA)
  • Through-thickness compressive stress

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