A Blended Damage and Fracture Mechanics Model for Progressive Damage Analysis of Notched Composite Structures

摘要

This paper presents a blended continuum damage and fracture mechanics finiteelement model for the progressive damage analysis of composite structures subjectedto quasi-static loading. Continuum damage modeling, utilizing the failure criterion ofPuck, was used to predict the damage initiation of matrix cracks and fibre failures,while fracture mechanics was used to model onset and propagation of delaminationand the propagation of matrix cracks. Numerical implementation was performed in thecommercial software ABAQUS, extended with user subroutines for materialconstitutive behaviour.The numerical framework was validated using experimental results found inliterature of open-hole specimens subjected to tensile loading. As the main focus wasgiven on the capability of the model to predict different failure patterns, the ply-blockeffect was investigated using a [45n/90n/-45n/0n]s with n=1,2,4,8 lay-up made ofIM7/8552 composite prepreg. The proposed model was benchmarked against a modelthat uses only continuum damage approach and it was found that it can predictaccurately the failure load the damage pattern especially when delamination is thedominant damage mechanism and interacts with matrix cracking, while the othermodel fails to predict even the failure load.