ECM-Based Statistical Simulation of Progressive Failure in Symmetric Laminates Damaged by Transverse Ply Cracking

摘要

The purpose of the present paper is to propose an analytical model that enables the evolution of transverse ply cracking to be investigated in fiber reinforced laminated composites subjected to in-plane tensile loading and thermal residual stress.The strain energy release rate associated with matrix cracking in transverse layer is derived using a 2-D shear-lag stress analysis and the equivalent constraint model (ECM).An energy criterion,based upon the fracture mechanics approach,is proposed to describe the initiation and propagation of the transverse ply cracking.This work is also concerned with statistical distributions of the defects with due consideration given to the scale size effect.Monte-Carlo simulation technique is implemented to predict mechanical behaviors of composite structures by taking into account the statistic of critical fracture toughness Gc of the transverse ply.The results deduced from the numerical procedure are in good agreement with the experimental results obtained for laminated composites formed by unidirectional fiber reinforced laminae with different orientations.