Improving composite damage modelling through automatic placement of cohesive elements

Irene Guiamatsia, Brian G. Falzon, Glyn A. O. Davies, Paul Robinson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Numerous experimental studies of damage in composite laminates have shown that intralaminar (in-plane) matrix cracks lead to interlaminar delamination (out-of-plane) at ply interfaces. The smearing of in-plane cracks over a volume, as a consequence of the use of continuum damage mechanics, does not always effectively capture the full extent of the interaction between the two failure mechanisms. A more accurate representation is obtained by adopting a discrete crack approach via the use of cohesive elements, for both in-plane and out-of-plane damage. The difficulty with cohesive elements is that their location must be determined a priori in order to generate the model; while ideally the position of the crack migration, and more generally the propagation path, should be obtained as part of the problem’s solution. With the aim of enhancing current modelling capabilities with truly predictive capabilities, a concept of automatic insertion of interface elements is utilized. The consideration of a simple traction criterion in relation to material strength, evaluated at each node of the model (or of the regions of the model where it is estimated cracks might form), allows for the determination of initial crack location and subsequent propagation by the insertion of cohesive elements during the course of the analysis. Several experimental results are modelled using the commercial package ABAQUS/Standard with an automatic insertion subroutine developed in this work, and the results are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of this technique.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication49th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, 16th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference,10th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference, 9th AIAA Gossamer Spacecraft Forum, 4th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialists Conference
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9781600869938
ISBN (Print)9781605603551
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Apr 2008
Event49th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference 16th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference 10th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference 9th AIAA Gossamer Spacecraft Forum 4th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference - Schaumburg, IL, United States
Duration: 07 Apr 200810 Apr 2008

Conference

Conference49th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference 16th AIAA/ASME/AHS Adaptive Structures Conference 10th AIAA Non-Deterministic Approaches Conference 9th AIAA Gossamer Spacecraft Forum 4th AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Specialist Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySchaumburg, IL
Period07/04/200810/04/2008

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