Multiscale modeling of tensile fracture in fiber reinforced composites
Deepak Patel, Anthony M. Waas
Abstract
Intralaminar fiber-matrix fracture, also known as splitting, is encountered frequently during the tensile failure of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites (FRPMCs). The prediction of this failure mode and its influence on a macroscopically homogenized model brings associated challenges in numerical modeling. An efficient two-scale model is presented, based on the micromechanics 2-concentric cylinder (2CYL) [1] analytical method for pre-peak nonlinearity, interfaced with the 3D orthotropic smeared crack approach (SCA) [2], [3] for post-peak softening behavior. A homogenized ply is modeled using standard 3D finite elements, such that a matrix crack can be captured explicitly with respect to the orientation of the ply angle. The capability of the proposed method is demonstrated by predicting the grip-to-grip longitudinal split in a 00 ply, mixed-mode matrix cracking in 450 ply, the transverse matrix cracking in 900 ply and the failure of laminate containing these plies. The predictions of the proposed method are found to be in very good agreement with corresponding experimental data [4, 5].