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Numerical modeling of fracture propagation in orthotropic composite materials using an adaptive phase-field method

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Abstract

We present an adaptive phase-field method for modeling crack propagation in orthotropic composites. The numerical approach extends an adaptive phase-field formulation, originally developed for isotropic linear elastic materials, to general orthotropic materials. The method to evaluate the constitutive tensor for a general orthotropic material is first discussed. The modification of the phase-field equation to incorporate the effect of orthotropy on damage evolution is then described. Simple numerical patch tests are formulated and used to validate the developed orthotropic material model. The coupled numerical framework is then utilized to study the influence of fiber orientation, and mechanical properties of fibers and matrix on the failure processes in orthotropic composites. The numerical studies indicate that the macro-scale failure behavior of laminates is primarily influenced by the mechanical properties of the matrix. Furthermore, the macro-scale fracture toughness of laminates increases when the individual lamina’s transverse normal critical energy release rate is large in comparison with the critical energy release rate of the adhesive. In this configuration, partial delamination of the lamina interface is favored, and therefore, a progressive ductile failure of laminates is observed. This observation can be used to engineer laminates from a damage tolerance-based design perspective.

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Acknowledgements

The support from the Ministry of Education, Government of India, and IIT Madras to the first, second, and fourth authors is gratefully acknowledged under the Start-up Research Grant, SP21221642CESERB008957 and the Subsurface Mechanics and Geo-Energy Research Grant, SB20210856CEMHRD008957.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, TN, 600036, India

    Ishank Jain & Shantanu S. Mulay

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, TN, 600036, India

    Chandrasekhar Annavarapu & Antonio Rodríguez-Ferran

  3. Laboratori de Càlcul Numèric (LaCàN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya–BarcelonaTech, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Antonio Rodríguez-Ferran

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  1. Ishank Jain
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  2. Chandrasekhar Annavarapu
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  3. Shantanu S. Mulay
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  4. Antonio Rodríguez-Ferran
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Correspondence to Chandrasekhar Annavarapu.

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Jain, I., Annavarapu, C., Mulay, S.S. et al. Numerical modeling of fracture propagation in orthotropic composite materials using an adaptive phase-field method. Int J Adv Eng Sci Appl Math 15, 144–154 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12572-023-00331-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12572-023-00331-w

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