Open Access

ARTICLE

Investigation of Progressive Damage and Fracture in Laminated Composites Using the Smeared Crack Approach

by Christian Heinrich¹, Anthony M. Waas²

1 Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Aerospace Engineering, 1320 Beal Avenue, 48109 Ann Arbor, MI. Presently at Sogeti High Tech GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
2 Felix Pawlowski Collegiate Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering, 1320 Beal Avenue, 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, and visiting Professor of Aeronautics, ImperialCollege, London SW7

Computers, Materials & Continua 2013, 35(2), 155-181. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmc.2013.035.155

Abstract

The smeared crack approach (SCA) is revisited to describe post-peak softening in laminated composite materials. First, predictions of the SCA are compared against linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) based predictions for the debonding of an adhesively bonded double cantilever beam. A sensitivity analysis is performed to establish the influence of element size and cohesive strength on the load-deflection response. The SCA is further validated by studying the in-plane fracture of a laminated composite in a single edge bend test configuration. In doing so, issues related to mesh size and their effects (or non-effects) are discussed and compared against other predictive computational techniques. Finally, the SCA is specialized to orthotropic materials. The application of the SCA is demonstrated for failure mechanics of the open hole tension test, where fiber/matrix fracture is predominant and predicted well by the present approach.

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