Effect of laminate construction on residual stresses in graphite/polyimide composites

The influence of ply-stacking sequence and ply orientation on the magnitude of lamination residual stresses in graphite/polyimide angle-ply laminates was investigated. The effect of stacking sequence was investigated with laminates of [0₂/±45]_s, [±45/0₂]_s, [0/+45/0/?45]_s and [+45/0₂/?45]_s layup. The effect of ply orientation was evaluated with additional specimens of [0₂/±15]_s and [0₂/90₂]_s layup. Thermal strains were measured using embedded-gage techniques. Residual strains were determined by comparing thermal strains in the angle-ply laminates with those of a unidirectional laminate. The ply-stacking sequence did not have an influence on the magnitude of residual strains. The highest residual strains occur in the [0₂/90₂]_s laminate and the lowest, approximately one-fourth in magnitude, occur in the [0₂/±15]_s laminate. The maximum residual strains in the [0₂/±45]_s group are slightly lower than those in the [0₂/90₂]_s laminate. Residual stress computations show that, at room temperature, the transverse-to-the-fibers stresses in all plies, except those of the [0₂/±15]_s laminate, exceed the transverse tensile strength of the unidirectional material.     

复合材料正交叠层板最终拉伸强度的细观统计分析

本文对复合材料正交叠层板［０／９０／０］的最终拉伸破坏行为进行了研究．首先，提出一种修正的剪滞分析方法，求解叠层中由９０°层的基体开裂和０°层的部分纤维断裂相互作用所导致的应力重新分布；然后，采用随机临界核统计模型，对叠层板的最终破坏进行了细观统计分析．对［Ｏ＿２／９０＿ｍ］＿ｓ、［Ｏ＿４／９０＿ｍ］＿ｓ碳／环氧和［Ｏ＿４／９０＿ｍ］＿ｓ玻璃／环氧的计算结果表明，估计的最终拉伸强度与现有的实验结果有较好的符合．     

大开口复合材料层合板强度破坏研究

复合材料层合板的各向异性及非均质,使得复合材料层合板内部的破坏形式非常复杂.在复合材料结构的设计中,为满足制造及使用功能上的需求,在复合材料层合板承力结构件上不可避免地需要设计各种开口.然而,含大开口复合材料层合板的强度破坏问题变得更为复杂,使得现有的强度理论面临新的挑战.针对碳纤维增强复合材料大开口层合板受单向拉伸载荷作用下的强度破坏问题进行了数值分析和实验研究.首先,根据Hashin准则和刚度退化模型,对含不同圆形开口尺寸的[0]_(10)单向铺层、[0/90]_5和[±45]_5正交铺层的层合板,进行了单向拉伸载荷作用下渐进失效的数值模拟分析,获得了对应结构的极限载荷和破坏模式.在此基础上,采用数字图像相关方法,进行复合材料大开口层合板强度破坏的实验研究.研究结果表明,大开口复合材料层合板在单向拉伸加载下主要呈现脆性破坏形式,破坏起始位置处于应力集中区.此外,破坏强度和失效模式与复合材料铺层方式和开口尺寸大小密切相关.其中[±45]_5铺层的开口层合板承载能力最弱,分层破坏最严重.开口尺寸越大,结构的极限载荷值越低.同实验测试结果相比,数值模拟对复合材料层合板的损伤失效分析略显不足,往往很难全面分析复合材料层合板破坏失效过程中的各种因素的影响.     

A PREDICTIVE APPROACH TO THE IN-PLANE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF STITCHED COMPOSITE LAMINATES

This contribution attempts to model the alteration of the in-plane elastic properties in laminates caused by stitching,and to predict the in-plane effective tensile strength of the stitched composite laminates.The distortion of in-plane fibers is considered to be the main cause that affects the in-plane mechanical properties.A fiber distortion model is proposed to characterize the fiber misalignment and the fiber content concentration due to stitching.The undistorted region,the fiber distortion region,the resin-rich pocket and the through-thickness reinforcement section are taken into account.The fiber misalignment and inhomogeneous fiber content due to stitching have been formulated by introducing two parameters,the distortion width and maximum misalignment.It has been found that the ply stress concentration in stitched laminates is influenced by the two concurrent factors,the stitch hole and inhomogeneous fiber content.The stitch hole brings about the stress concentration whereas the higher fiber content at the local region induced by stitching restrains the local deformation of the composite.The model is used to predict the tensile strength of the [0/45/0/-45/90/45/0/-45]_(2s) T300/QY9512 composite laminate stitched by Kevlar 29 yarn with different stitching configurations,showing an acceptable agreement with experimental data.     

Fracture of composite laminates containing cracks due to shear loading

The responses of graphite/epoxy [0/90/±45] _s , [±45]_2s , [0/90]_2s and [0/±45]_2s composite laminates with and without center cracks were studied under shear loading using the three-rail shear test. The shear stress/strain relationship, the failure mechanisms and the notched strength were analyzed. Substantial amounts of local buckling were observed in some of the laminates. The present paper shows that shear modulus can be determined accurately using the three-rail shear test with proper interpretation of data. Using the minimum strength model, only one characteristic length was needed to predict accurately the notched strength of a composite laminate under shear and tensile loadings.Paper was presented at the 1987 SEM Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in Houston, TX on June 14–19.     

Singular full-field stresses in composite laminates with open holes

A method of the superposition of a hybrid and displacement approximation was developed to provide the accurate stress fields in a multilayered composite laminate, including the singular neighborhood of the ply interface and the hole edge. Asymptotic analysis was used to derive the hybrid stress functions. The displacement approximation is based on the polynomial B-spline functions. The method provides the determination of the coefficient of the singular term along with convergent stress components including the singular regions. Reissner’s variational principle was employed. Simple [45/−45]_s and quasi-isotropic IM7/5250 [45/90/−45/0]_s laminates were analyzed. Uniaxial loading and residual stress calculation (quasi-isotropic laminate) were considered. A convergence study showed that accurate values of the coefficient of the singular term of the asymptotic stress expansion could be obtained with coarse out-of-plane and in-plane subdivisions. The interaction between the singular terms on the neighboring interfaces was found to be important for the convergence with coarse subdivisions. Converged transverse interlaminar stress components as a function of the distance from the hole edge, were shown for all examples.     

Experimental and analytical comparisons of failure in thermoplastic composite laminates

Failure characteristics of Gr/PEEK were studied, using an experimental investigation and a fully nonlinear ply-by-ply finite-element technique. The stacking sequence of the laminates (with centrally located holes) investigated were: 0, 90, ±45 deg, (0/45/90/−45 deg)_2s and (0±45/90 deg)_2s. The [0 deg] laminate failure was characterized by splitting at the extremities of the hole and along the fibers. The [90 deg] laminates failed in the transverse direction, whereas the [±45 deg] laminates exhibited considerable elongation to failure. In the case of the quasi-isotropic laminates, the failure progression appeared to be due dominantly to matrix cracking followed by fiber failure. Analytical predictions of the failure process showed reasonably good correlation with the experimentally determined data.     

Spherical indentation of composite laminates with controlled gradients in elastic anisotropy

Three-dimensional elastic analyses and experiments of indentation of thick laminated plates of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy are presented. Pointwise, the material is characterized as a linear elastic orthotropic material. The in-plane orientation of the carbon fibers is systematically varied as a function of depth. The influence of fiber orientation as a function of depth on the indentation response is considered along with the relationship between the indenter force vs depth. The fiber orientation profiles considered are those of a continuous linear variation between 90° at the outer surfaces and 0° at the center plane of the laminate, and a cross ply laminate involving alternating 90° and 0° layers through thickness. Experimentally, it is found that for the case of a cross-ply laminate, the indentation produces delaminations localized at the interfaces that separate planes of dissimilar orientation. For this case, stress concentrations at interfaces between plies of dissimilar orientation coincide with the observed sites of delamination. For the graded case, evidence of enhanced nonlinear deformation is found, without the nucleation of cracks. Computations show that for the graded material, tensile stresses perpendicular to fibers are suppressed significantly, possibly explaining the absence of matrix cracks in this material. Measured and computed indenter force-depth variations were found to be in good agreement. Experiments and computations also reveal that the orientation-graded material is more compliant when subjected to indentation than the conventional cross-ply laminate.     

Progressive fracture of laminated composite stiffened plate

Laminated fiber-reinforced composite stiffened plate with [0/90/±45]_S plies made of S-Glass/epoxy are evaluated via computational simulation to study damage and fracture progression. The loads are pressure and temperature which varies from 21 to 65.5 °C (case I) and from 143.3 to 21 °C (case II). An integrated computer code is used for the simulation of the damage progression. Results show that damage initiation begins at low load level, with matrix cracking at the 0° (bottom and top) plies, fiber fracture at the bottom (0°) ply and interply delamination at the top (0°) ply. Increasing the applied pressure, the damage growth is expended resulting in fracture through the thickness of the structure. At this stage, 90% of the plies damage at applied pressure 15.306 MPa for the case I and 15.036 MPa for the case II. After this stage, the cracks propagate rapidly and the structure collapses.     

Consecutive matrix cracking in contiguous plies of composite laminates

Propagation behaviors of obliquely-crossed microcracks induced by matrix cracks in adjacent plies of composite laminates were numerically analyzed using finite element modeling. Oblique coordinate system along obliquely-crossed cracks was defined and applied to the finite element formulation, which enabled geometrically parametric analysis for arbitrary oblique angles using a single discrete model. Three-dimensional stress analyses of [S/θ_n/90]s laminate with microcracks in θ-ply and fully developed matrix cracks in 90-ply were performed under various conditions of angle θ, θ-ply crack length, θ-ply thickness, etc. Energy release rates associated with θ-ply crack propagation in the θ-ply fiber direction were calculated in order to assess θ-ply cracking conformations. The results suggested that presence of 90-ply cracks affects θ-ply crack propagation, especially mode-I energy release rates, depending on angle θ. Furthermore, effects of angle θ, θ-ply thickness and S layer configuration on the interaction between matrix cracks in θ- and 90-plies were clarified. Finally, crack accumulation behaviors in [0/θ₂/90]s laminates were experimentally investigated and compared with the analytical results.     

含铺层拼接层合板的剪切强度

对含铺层拼接的碳纤维增强树脂基复合材料层合板进行了剪切强度实验研究.从三种不同铺层拼接角层合板上切取含缺口的剪切试件,通过实验测定了其载荷-位移曲线,得到了剪切强度值.实验结果表明,三组试件的剪切强度基本相同,即拼接层角度改变几乎不会引起层合板的剪切强度发生明显变化.采用有限元软件ABAQUS6.5对实验过程进行模拟,得到拼接层角度改变将引起拼接层中0°层出现切应力集中,但沿缺口切应力的平均值几乎不变.这也说明拼接层角度的变化几乎不影响层合板的剪切强度.     

Multiaxial creep and cyclic plasticity in nickel-base superalloy C263

Physically-based constitutive equations for uniaxial creep deformation in nickel alloy C263 [Acta Mater. 50 (2002) 2917] have been generalised for multiaxial stress states using conventional von Mises type assumptions. A range of biaxial creep tests have been carried out on nickel alloy C263 in order to investigate the stress state sensitivity of creep damage evolution. The sensitivity has been quantified in C263 and embodied within the creep constitutive equations for this material. The equations have been implemented into finite element code. The resulting computed creep behaviour for a range of stress state compares well with experimental results. Creep tests have been carried out on double notched bar specimens over a range of nominal stress. The effect of the notches is to introduce multiaxial stress states local to the notches which influences creep damage evolution. Finite element models of the double notch bar specimens have been developed and used to test the ability of the model to predict correctly, or otherwise, the creep rupture lifetimes of components in which multiaxial stress states exist. Reasonable comparisons with experimental results are achieved. The γ^′ solvus temperature of C263 is about 925 °C, so that thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) loading in which the temperature exceeds the solvus leads to the dissolution of the γ^′ precipitate, and a resulting solution treated material. The cyclic plasticity and creep behaviour of the solution treated material is quite different to that of the material with standard heat treatment. A time-independent cyclic plasticity model with kinematic and isotropic hardening has been developed for solution treated and standard heat treated nickel-base superalloy C263. It has been combined with the physically-based creep model to provide constitutive equations for TMF in C263 over the temperature range 20–950 °C, capable of predicting deformation and life in creep cavitation-dominated TMF failure.     

Residual Stress Measurement in Composite Laminates Using Incremental Hole-Drilling with Power Series

Current methods for incremental hole-drilling in composite laminates have not been successfully applied in laminates of arbitrary construction or where significant variation of residual stress exists within a single ply. This work presents a method to overcome these limitations. Series expansion is applied to each ply orientation separately so that the discontinuities in the residual stresses at ply interfaces can be correctly captured. Temperature variations described by power series are used to set up eigenstrains and consequent stresses which vary in the through-thickness direction. The calibration coefficients at each incremental hole depth are calculated through the use of finite element modelling. The inverse solution employs a least-squares approach which makes the resulting solution insensitive to measurement uncertainty. Robust uncertainties in the residual stress distributions are determined using Monte Carlo simulation. The residual stress distribution is found from that combination of series orders in the different ply orientations that has the lowest RMS uncertainty, selected only from those combinations that have converged. The method is demonstrated on a GFRP laminate of [0₂/+45/?45]_s construction where it is found that transverse cracking of the plies at the inner surface of the hole may have impacted on the accuracy of the results.     

Computational simulation of damage progression of composite thin shells subjected to mechanical loads

Defect-free and defected composite thin shells with ply orientation (90/0/ ± 75) made of graphite/epoxy are simulated for damage progression and fracture due to internal pressure and axial loading. The thin shells have a cylindrical geometry with one end fixed and the other free. The applied load consists of an internal pressure in conjunction with an axial load at the free end, the cure temperature was 177°C (350°F) and the operational temperature was 21°C (70°F). The residual stresses due to the processing are taken into account. Shells with defect and without defects were examined by using CODSTRAN an integrated computer code that couples composite mechanics, finite element and account for all possible failure modes inherent in composites. CODSTRAN traces damage initiation, growth, accumulation, damage propagation and the final fracture of the structure. The results show that damage initiation started with matrix failure while damage/fracture progression occurred due to additional matrix failure and fiber fracture. The burst pressure of the (90/0/ ± 75) defected shell was 0.092% of that of the free defect. Finally the results of the damage progression of the (90/0/ ± 75), defective composite shell was compared with the (90/0/ ± θ), where θ = 45 and 60, layup configurations. It was shown that the examined laminate (90/0/ ± 75) has the least damage tolerant of the two compared defective shells with the (90/0/ ± θ), θ = 45 and 60 laminates.     

Three-dimensional microscopic interlaminar analysis of cross-ply laminates based on a homogenization theory

In this study, a method for three-dimensional microscopic interlaminar analysis of cross-ply laminates is developed based on a homogenization theory to analyze microscopic interactions between unidirectional long fiber-reinforced laminae. For this, a unit cell of a cross-ply laminate, which includes interlaminar areas, is defined under the assumption that each lamina in the laminate has a transversely square fiber array. Then, showing that the laminate has a point-symmetric internal structure, the symmetry is utilized to introduce half of the unit cell as the domain of analysis. Moreover, the domain of analysis is divided into substructures using a substructure method combined with the homogenization theory, significantly reducing the computational costs. The present method is then applied to the analysis of interlaminar stress distributions in a carbon fiber/epoxy cross-ply laminate subjected to in-plane uniaxial tension. It is shown that microscopic shear stress noticeably occurs at the interface between the 0°- and 90°-plies. It is also shown that the microscopic interaction between the two plies is observed only in the vicinity of the interface.     

On the use of crack-tip-opening displacement to predict the fracture strength of notched graphite/epoxy laminates

The fracture strength and crack-opening displacement of notched graphite/epoxy laminates were measured experimentally using the center-cracked tension-specimen geometry. Four replicate tests were conducted for a variety of laminate stacking sequences, thicknesses, and notch lengths. Most laminates exhibited extensive notch-tip damage prior to fracture. Values of crack-tip-opening displacement (CTOD) at fracture were estimated from values of crack-opening displacement measured at the crack center line. CTOD was independent of specimen crack length for the [0/±45/90] _s , [0/±45/90]_15s , [0/±45] _s , [0/±45/]_15s , and [0/90]_24s laminates. In addition, notched laminate strength was accurately predicted using a Dugdale-type model along with the estimated CTOD.Paper was presented at V International Congress on Experimental Mechanics held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 10–15, 1984.     

Fiber Remodeling During Torsion of a Fiber Reinforced Hyperelastic Cylinder��Unloading Behavior

Previous studies introduced a constitutive theory for fiber reinforced hyperelastic materials that allows the fibers to undergo microstructural changes. In this theory, increasing deformation of the matrix leads to increasing stretch of the fibers that causes their gradual dissolution. The dissolving fibers reassemble in the direction of maximum principal stretch of the matrix. The implications of the constitutive theory were first studied for two homogeneous deformations: uniaxial extension along the fibers and simple shear in the direction normal to the fibers. The constitutive theory was then used in treatment of the non-homogeneous deformation of combined axial stretch and twisting. The emphasis was on the determination of the influence of increasing axial stretch and twist on the spatial distribution of fiber dissolution and reassembly within the cylinder and also on the axial force and torque applied to the end faces of the cylinder. The present work is concerned with another aspect of combined axial stretch and twisting of the cylinder, namely unloading following dissolution and reassembly of some of the fibers. In this case, the cylinder is given an initial twist until there is an inner core of original fiber/matrix material and an outer sheath of remodeled fiber/matrix material. A condition is established that determines the combinations of axial stretch and twist that cause no additional dissolution and reassembly of fibers during unloading. It is also shown that there is a residual axial stretch and twist if the axial force and torque become zero. A numerical example illustrates this for a particular choice of matrix and fiber properties.     

Prediction of progressive failure in multidirectional composite laminated panels

A mechanism-based progressive failure analyses (PFA) approach is developed for fiber reinforced composite laminates. Each ply of the laminate is modeled as a nonlinear elastic degrading lamina in a state of plane stress according to Schapery theory (ST). In this theory, each lamina degrades as characterized through laboratory scale experiments. In the fiber direction, elastic behavior prevails, however, in the present work, the phenomenon of fiber microbuckling, which is responsible for the sudden degradation of the axial lamina properties under compression, is explicitly accounted for by allowing the fiber rotation at a material point to be a variable in the problem. The latter is motivated by experimental and numerical simulations that show that local fiber rotations in conjunction with a continuously degrading matrix are responsible for the onset of fiber microbuckling leading to kink banding. These features are built into a user defined material subroutine that is implemented through the commercial finite element (FE) software ABAQUS in conjunction with classical lamination theory (CLT) that considers a laminate as a collection of perfectly bonded lamina (Herakovich, C.T., 1998. Mechanics of Fibrous Composites. Wiley, New York). The present model, thus, disbands the notion of a fixed compressive strength, and instead uses the mechanics of the failure process to provide the in situ compression strength of a material point in a lamina, the latter being dictated strongly by the current local stress state, the current state of the lamina transverse material properties and the local fiber rotation. The inputs to the present work are laboratory scale, coupon level test data that provide information on the lamina transverse property degradation (i.e. appropriate, measured, strain–stress relations of the lamina transverse properties), the elastic lamina orthotropic properties, the ultimate tensile strength of the lamina in the fiber direction, the stacking sequence of the laminate and the geometry of the structural panel. The validity of the approach advocated is demonstrated through numerical simulations of the response of two composite structural panels that are loaded to complete failure. A flat, 24-ply unstiffened panel with a cutout subjected to in-plane shear loading, and a double notched 70-ply unstiffened stitched panel subjected to axial compression are selected for study. The predictions of the simulations are compared against experimental data. Good agreement between the present PFA and the experimental data are reported.     

Experimental investigation of initial and subsequent yield surfaces for laminated metal matrix composites

The aim of this work is to construct yield surfaces to describe initial yielding and characterize hardening behavior of a highly anisotropic material. A methodology for constructing yield surfaces for isotropic materials using axial–torsion loading is extended to highly anisotropic materials. The technique uses a sensitive definition of yielding based on permanent strain rather than offset strain, and enables multiple yield points and multiple yield surfaces to be conducted on a single specimen. A target value of 20 × 10⁻⁶ is used for Al₂O₃ fiber reinforced aluminum laminates having a fiber volume fraction of 0.55. Sixteen radial probes are used to define the yield locus in the axial–shear stress plane. Initial yield surfaces for [0₄], [90₄], and [0/90]₂ fibrous aluminum laminates are well described by ellipses in the axial–shear stress plane having aspect ratios of 10, 2.5, and 3.3, respectively. For reference, the aspect ratio of the Mises ellipse for an isotropic material is 1.73. Initial yield surfaces do not have a tension–compression asymmetry. Four overload profiles (plus, ex, hourglass, and zee) are applied to characterize hardening of a [0/90]₂ laminate by constructing 30 subsequent yield surfaces. Parameters to describe the center and axes of an ellipse are regressed to the yield points. The results clearly indicate that kinematic hardening dominates so that material state evolution can be described by tracking the center of the yield locus. For a nonproportional overload of (σ, τ) = (500, 70) MPa, the center of the yield locus translated to (σ, τ) = (430, 37) MPa and the ellipse major axis was only 110 MPa.     

具有中心圆孔的[0°/90°]_s复合材料层合板的边界元法分析

本文在文[1]的基础上,采用子结构法建立了多层复合板的边界元方法,对具有中心园孔[0°/90°]_s的层合板的层间应力作了计算,同有限元法的结果进行了比较,结果表明,应用边界元法处理这类问题,单元划分少,节约了计算机时,而且有较高的计算精度。