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Finite Element Analysis of Layered Fiber Composite Structures Accounting for the Material’s Microstructure and Delamination

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Abstract

The present paper focuses on composite structures which consist of several layers of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). For such layered composite structures, delamination constitutes one of the major failure modes. Predicting its initiation is essential for the design of these composites. Evaluating stress-strength relation based onset criteria requires an accurate representation of the through-the-thickness stress distribution, which can be particularly delicate in the case of shell-like structures. Thus, in this paper, a solid-shell finite element formulation is utilized which allows to incorporate a fully three-dimensional material model while still being suitable for applications involving thin structures. Moreover, locking phenomena are cured by using both the EAS and the ANS concept, and numerical efficiency is ensured through reduced integration. The proposed anisotropic material model accounts for the material’s micro-structure by using the concept of structural tensors. It is validated by comparison to experimental data as well as by application to numerical examples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Mechanics, RWTH Aachen University, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany

    Bertram Stier, Jaan-Willem Simon & Stefanie Reese

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  1. Bertram Stier
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  2. Jaan-Willem Simon
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  3. Stefanie Reese
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Correspondence to Bertram Stier.

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Stier, B., Simon, JW. & Reese, S. Finite Element Analysis of Layered Fiber Composite Structures Accounting for the Material’s Microstructure and Delamination. Appl Compos Mater 22, 171–187 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-013-9378-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-013-9378-8

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