Carlos G. Dávila

Numerical simulation of mixed-mode progressive delamination in composite materials

A new decohesion element with the capability of dealing with crack propagation under mixed-mode loading is proposed and demonstrated. The element is used at the interface between solid finite elements to model the initiation and non-self-similar growth of delaminations in composite materials. A single relative displacement-based damage parameter is applied in a softening law to track the damage state of the interface and to prevent the restoration of the cohesive state during unloading. The softening law is applied in the three-parameter Benzeggagh-Kenane mode interaction criterion to predict mixed-mode delamination propagation. To demonstrate the accuracy of the predictions, steady-state delamination growth is simulated for quasi-static loading of various single mode and mixed-mode delamination test specimens and the results are compared with experimental data.

Failure criteria for FRP laminates

A new set of six phenomenological failure criteria for fiber-reinforced polymer laminates denoted LaRC03 is described. These criteria can predict matrix and fiber failure accurately, without the curve-fitting parameters. For matrix failure under transverse compression, the angle of the fracture plane is solved by maximizing the Mohr-Coulomb effective stresses. A criterion for fiber kinking is obtained by calculating the fiber misalignment under load and applying the matrix failure criterion in the coordinate frame of the misalignment. Fracture mechanics models of matrix cracks are used to develop a criterion for matrix failure in tension and to calculate the associated in situ strengths. The LaRC03 criteria are applied to a few examples to predict failure load envelopes and to predict the failure mode for each region of the envelope. The analysis results are compared to the predictions using other available failure criteria and with experimental results.

Failure Criteria for FRP Laminates in Plane Stress

Abstract A new set of six failure criteria for fiber reinforced polymer laminates is described. Derived from Dvorak’s fracture mechanics analyses of cracked plies and from Puck’s action plane concept, the physically-based criteria, denoted LaRC03, predict matrix and fiber failure accurately without requiring curve-fitting parameters. For matrix failure under transverse compression, the fracture plane is calculated by maximizing the Mohr-Coulomb effective stresses. A criterion for fiber kinking is obtained by calculating the fiber misalignment under load, and applying the matrix failure criterion in the coordinate frame of the misalignment. Fracture mechanics models of matrix cracks are used to develop a criterion for matrix in tension and to calculate the associated in-situ strengths. The LaRC03 criteria are applied to a few examples to predict failure load envelopes and to predict the failure mode for each region of the envelope. The analysis results are compared to the predictions using other available failure criteria and with experimental results. Predictions obtained with LaRC03 correlate well with the experimental results.

Mixed-Mode Decohesion Elements for Analyses of Progressive Delamination

A new 8-node decohesion element with mixed mode capability is proposed and demonstrated. The element is used at the interface between solid finite elements to model the initiation and propagation of delamination. A single displacement-based damage parameter is used in a strain softening law to track the damage state of the interface. The method can be used in conjunction with conventional material degradation procedures to account for inplane and intra-laminar damage modes. The accuracy of the predictions is evaluated in single mode delamination tests, in the mixed-mode bending test, and in a structural configuration consisting of the debonding of a stiffener flange from its skin.

Analysis of Delamination Initiation in Postbuckled Dropped-Ply Laminates

The compression strength of dropped-ply, graphite-epoxy laminated plates for the delamination mode of failure is studied by a finite element analysis and corroborated with experiments

Effective simulation of delamination in aeronautical structures using shells and cohesive elements

A cohesive element for shell analysis is presented. The element can be used to simulate the initiation and growth of delaminations between stacked noncoincident layers of shell elements. The procedure to construct the element accounts for the thickness offset by applying the kinematic relations of shell deformation to transform the stiffness and internal force of a zero-thickness cohesive element such that interfacial continuity between the layers is enforced. The procedure is demonstrated by simulating the response and failure of the mixed-mode bending test and a skinstiffener debond specimen. In addition, it is shown that stacks of shell elements can be used to create effective models to predict the in-plane and delamination failure modes of thick components. The results indicate that simple shell models can retain many of the necessary predictive attributes of much more complex three-dimensional models while providing the computational efficiency that is necessary for design.

Progressive failure analyses of compression-loaded composite curved panels with and without cutouts

Progressive failure analyses results are presented for composite curved panels with and without a circular cutout and subjected to axial compression loading well into their postbuckling regime. Ply damage modes such as matrix cracking, fiber-matrix shear, and fiber failure are modeled by degrading the material properties. Results from finite element analyses are compared with experimental data. Good agreement between experimental data and numerical results are observed for most part of the loading range for the structural configurations considered. Modeling of initial geometric imperfections may be required to obtain accurate analysis results depending on the ratio of the cutout width to panel width.

Solid-to-shell transition elements for the computation of interlaminar stresses

This paper presents an accurate and practical technique for coupling shell element models to three-dimensional continuum finite element models. The compatibility between these two types of formulations is enforced by degenerating a continuum element through kinematic constraints compatible with shell deformations. Two formulations of two-dimensional/three-dimensional transition elements are presented. The first and simplest formulation is based on the Mindlin-Reissner plate assumptions, and is found to perform well in a variety of problems involving the analysis of geometrically linear/non-linear laminated structures. The second formulation is based on a higher-order shell theory that allows stretching in the through-the-thickness direction. This additional freedom virtually eliminates the interlaminar normal stress boundary layer that can form in lower-order transition elements. Finally, the coupling of two-dimensional to three-dimensional subdomains is enriched with the use of an interface element, which can be used in conjunction with either transition formulation. The interface element improves the efficiency of the solid-to-shell transition modeling scheme by allowing the independent selection of optimal mesh sizes in the shell and the three-dimensional regions of the model.

An Irreversible Constitutive Law for Modeling the Delamination Process using Interface Elements

An irreversible constitutive law is postulated for the formulation of interface elements to predict initiation and progression of delamination in composite structures. An exponential function is used for the constitutive law such that it satisfies a multi-axial stress criterion for the onset of delamination, and satisfies a mixed mode fracture criterion for the progression of delamination. A damage parameter is included to prevent the restoration of the previous cohesive state between the interfacial surfaces. To demonstrate the irreversibility capability of the constitutive law, steady-state crack growth is simulated for quasi-static loading-unloading cycle of various fracture test specimens.

Analytical Modelling of Transverse Matrix Cracking of {±θ/90n} s Composite Laminates under Multiaxial Loading

An analytical model based on the analysis of a cracked unit cell of a composite laminate subjected to multiaxial loads is proposed to predict the onset and accumulation of transverse matrix cracks in the 90n plies of uniformly stressed {±θ/90n} s laminates. The model predicts the effect of matrix cracks on the stiffness of the laminate, as well as the ultimate failure of the laminate, and it accounts for the effect of the ply thickness on the ply strength. Several examples describing the predictions of laminate response, from damage onset up to final failure under both uniaxial and multiaxial loads, are presented.