2.7.1 Delamination analysis of laminated composites

Products: ABAQUS/Standard  ABAQUS/Explicit  

Problem description

Geometry and model

The problem geometry and loading are depicted in Figure 2.7.1–1: a layered composite specimen, 200 mm long, with a total thickness of 3.18 mm and a width of 20 mm, loaded by equal and opposite displacements in the thickness direction at one end. The thickness direction is composed of 24 layers. The model has two initial cracks: the first (of length 40 mm) is positioned at the midplane of the specimen at the left end, and the second (of length 20 mm) is located to the right of the first and two layers below.

When cohesive elements are used, the problem is modeled in both two and three dimensions, using solid elements to represent the bulk behavior and cohesive elements to capture the potential delamination at the interfaces between the 10th and 11th layers and between the 12th and 13th layers, counting from the bottom. In the two-dimensional finite element model the top part of the specimen consisting of 12 layers, the middle section of 2 layers, and the bottom part of 10 layers are each modeled with a mesh of 1 × 200 CPE4I elements in ABAQUS/Standard and CPE4R elements in ABAQUS/Explicit. In both ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit the initially uncracked portions of the two interfaces are modeled by one layer each of COH2D4 elements that share nodes with the adjacent solid elements. A similar, matching mesh is adopted for the equivalent three-dimensional model, where the corresponding element types used are C3D8I and COH3D8 in ABAQUS/Standard and C3D8R and COH3D8 in ABAQUS/Explicit, with one element in the width direction. The nodes where the equal and opposite displacements are prescribed are constrained in the length direction of the specimen; these are the only boundary conditions in the two-dimensional case. For the equivalent three-dimensional model all the nodes are also constrained in the width direction to simulate the plane strain effect. In addition, contact is defined between the open faces of the second, pre-existing crack to avoid penetrations if the faces are compressed against each other during the analysis.

When connector elements are used, the problem is modeled only in two dimensions in ABAQUS/Standard. Two node-based surfaces are generated: one along the top surface of the tenth layer and the other along the bottom surface of the eleventh layer. Both surfaces are tied to adjacent layers using surface-based tie constraints. CARTESIAN connector elements are used to bond the two node-based surfaces together to represent the interface. For the interface between the twelfth and thirteenth layers, matched solid element nodes along the interface are connected directly using connector elements.

Material

The material data given in Alfano (2001) for the bulk material composite properties are  GPa,  GPa,  GPa, , , ,  GPa,  GPa, and  GPa.

The response of the cohesive elements in the model is specified through the cohesive section definition as a “traction-separation” response type. The elastic properties of the cohesive layer material are specified in terms of the traction-separation response with stiffness values  MPa,  MPa, and  MPa. The quadratic traction-interaction failure criterion is selected for damage initiation in the cohesive elements; and a mixed-mode, energy-based damage evolution law based on a power law criterion is selected for damage propagation. The relevant material data are as follows:  MPa,  MPa,  MPa, × 103 N/m, × 103 N/m, =0.80 × 103 N/m, and .

Force-based damage initiation and a tabular form of motion-based damage evolution are used to define the connector damage mechanisms. Initiation forces are calculated based on the value of given above for cohesive elements. For example, the initiation force for the lower interface is calculated as 66 N, which is equal to × A. The interface area over one cohesive element, A, is 20 × 10–6. The stiffnesses of the connector elements are calculated as × 109 N/m, where L is the thickness of the cohesive element. To improve the convergence behavior of this model, viscous regularization has been applied to the model.

Results and discussion

Input files

Python script

References

Figures

Figure 2.7.1–1 Model geometry for the Alfano delamination problem.

Figure 2.7.1–2 Reaction force vs. prescribed displacement: experimental and numerical results.

Figure 2.7.1–3 Effect of viscous regularization on the predicted force-displacement response using cohesive elements.

Figure 2.7.1–4 Effect of viscous regularization on the predicted force-displacement response using connector elements.