A double inclusion model for microcrack arrest in fibre reinforced brittle materials

A model for the prediction of microcrack growth in a fibre reinforced brittle matrix composite material is suggested. The model is based on composite material theory and linear elastic fracture mechanics. The microcracks in question are so-called large microcracks, i.e. microcracks which are bridged by the reinforcing fibres. The crack bridging fibres are “smeared” out to form a homogeneous medium. This homogeneous medium constitutes together with the matrix crack an ellipsoidal so-called “double inclusion.” Matrix cracking as well as interfacial debonding can be analysed and this analysis can be synthesized and interpreted as a determination of the strength of the reinforced matrix. The model is compared with some experimental results, and good agreement is found. The model can serve as a tool for the design of brittle matrix composite materials because it identifies the significance of fibre geometry, volume fraction of fibres, and adhesion between fibres and matrix.     

基于弹性-塑性内聚力模型的纤维拔出界面宏观行为分析

用解析法分析了单纤维从聚合物基体中的拔出过程,采用弹性—塑性内聚力模型模拟裂纹的扩展和界面失效,确定了临界纤维埋入长度,该值区分两种不同长度的纤维拔出过程. 在纤维拔出过程,界面经历不同的阶段. 纤维埋长小于临界长度时,界面的脱粘载荷与纤维的埋长成正比;超过临界长度后,界面的脱粘载荷近似为常数. 分析了界面参数对脱粘载荷的影响:增加界面的剪切强度和界面的断裂韧性,或减小界面裂纹萌生位移,均能提高界面的脱粘载荷;界面脱粘后无界面摩擦应力时,拔出载荷—位移曲线的峰值载荷等于界面的脱粘载荷;界面摩擦应力存在时,使峰值载荷大于脱粘载荷,需要较长的纤维埋入长度和较大的界面摩擦应力.      

Multi-scale modeling of tensile behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced composites

A multi-scale representative volume element (RVE) for modeling the tensile behavior of carbon nanotube-reinforced composites is proposed. The RVE integrates nanomechanics and continuum mechanics, thus bridging the length scales from the nano- through the mesoscale. A progressive fracture model based on the modified Morse interatomic potential is used for simulating the behavior of the isolated carbon nanotubes and the FE method for modeling the matrix and building the RVE. Between the nanotube and the matrix a perfect bonding is assumed until the interfacial shear stress exceeds the corresponding strength. Then, nanotube/matrix debonding is simulated by prohibiting load transfer in the debonded region. Using the RVE, a unidirectional nanotube/polymer composite was modeled and the results were compared with corresponding rule-of-mixtures predictions. A significant enhancement in the stiffness of the polymer owing to the adding of the nanotubes is predicted. The effect of interfacial shear strength on the tensile behavior of the nanocomposite was also studied. Stiffness is found to be unaffected while tensile strength to significantly decrease with decreasing the interfacial shear strength.     

Fracture and debonding of a thin film on a stiff substrate: analytical and numerical solutions of a one-dimensional variational model

We study multi-fissuration and debonding phenomena of a thin film bonded to a stiff substrate using the variational approach to fracture mechanics. We consider a reduced one-dimensional membrane model where the loading is introduced through uniform inelastic (e.g., thermal) strains in the film or imposed displacements of the substrate. Fracture phenomena are accounted for by adopting a Griffith model for debonding and transverse fracture. On the basis of energy minimization arguments, we recover the key qualitative properties of the experimental evidences, like the periodicity of transverse cracks and the peripheral debonding of each regular segment. Phase diagrams relate the maximum number of transverse cracks that may be created before debonding takes place, as a function of the material properties and the sample’s geometry. The theoretical results are illustrated with numerical simulations obtained through a finite element discretization and a regularized variational formulation of the Ambrosio–Tortorelli type, which is suited to further extensions in two-dimensional settings.     

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of an In-Plane Shear Specimen Designed for Ductile Fracture Studies

An in-plane shear specimen made of dual phase steel designed for ductile fracture studies is presented and then analyzed experimentally and numerically. In the experiment, digital image correlation (DIC) technique is utilized to measure the deformation of the specimen. Based on the implicit nonlinear FE solver Abaqus/Standard, numerical analysis of the specimen is performed by using plane stress and solid elements respectively. The elongation of the specimen’s gauge length and the shear strain distribution within the shear zone are compared between the experimental and numerical results and a general good agreement is obtained. Thereafter, based on calculated results, the stress state of the shear zone is investigated in detail. It is shown that the shear stress is dominant within the shear zone despite of the emergence of normal stresses. The deformation is concentrated in the shear zone, where the incipient fracture is most likely to occur. The stress triaxiality and the Lode parameter at the fracture initiation are found to be maintained at a relatively low level, which implies that the stress state achieved by the specimen is close to pure shear. The present study demonstrates that the proposed in-plane shear specimen is suitable for investigation of the fracture behavior of high strength materials under shear stress states.     

Debonding of short fibres among particulates in a metal matrix composite

A numerical analysis is carried out for the development of damage by fibre–matrix debonding in aluminium reinforced by aligned, short SiC fibres. A unit cell-model that has earlier been applied to study materials with arrays of transversely staggered fibres is here extended to contain a number of differently shaped fibres or particulates in each unit cell, thus representing debonding of a relatively long discontinuous fibre among particulates that do not debond. Interfacial failure is modelled in terms of a cohesive zone model that accounts for decohesion by normal separation as well as by tangential separation. It is found that the evolution of failure can depend rather strongly on the distribution of particulates around a fibre subject to debonding.     

Brush-like modes of fatigue fracture in unidirectional fibre composites

Fatigue fracture of unidirectional fibre composites under tension along the fibres is discussed with account of the interaction between various mechanisms of damage such as single and multiple fibre ruptures, matrix cracking, and matrix-fibre debonding. The case of brittle fibres and a comparatively weak and ductile matrix is considered that exposes non-conventional modes of fracture, named “brush-like” cracks. Growth of such cracks under cyclic quasistatic loading is studied, and the effect of various factors on the crack growth rate is investigated.     

Buckling of nano-fibre reinforced composites: a re-examination of elastic buckling

Elastic buckling of layered/fibre reinforced composites is investigated. Assuming the existence of both shear and transverse modes of failure, the fibre is analysed as a layer embedded in a matrix. Interacting stresses, acting at the interfaces are determined from an exact derived stress field in the matrix. It is shown that buckling can occur only in the shear buckling mode and that the transverse buckling mode is spurious. As opposed to the well known Rosen shear buckling mode solution (predicated on an infinite buckling wavelength), shear buckling is shown to exist under two régimes: buckling of dilute composites with finite wavelengths and buckling of non-dilute composites with infinite wavelengths. Based on the analysis, a model is constructed which defines the fibre concentration at which the transition between the two régimes occurs. The buckling strains are shown to be (approximately) constant for dilute composites and, in the case of very stiff fibres, to have realistic values compatible with elastic behaviour. For the case of non-dilute composites, the strains are found to be in agreement with those given by the Rosen shear buckling solution. Numerical results for the buckling strains and stresses are presented and compared with the Rosen solution. These reveal that the Rosen solution is valid only for the case of non-dilute composites. The investigation demonstrates that elastic buckling may be a dominant failure mechanism of composites consisting of very stiff fibres fabricated in the framework of nano-technology.     

INTERFACIAL BEHAVIOR OF PIPE JOINTS UNDER TORSION LOADS

The interfacial behavior of pipe joints is studied in this paper. Firstly, through nonlinear fracture mechanics, the analytical expressions of interfacial shear stress and the loaddisplacement relationship at loaded end of pipe joints under torsion loads are obtained. Thus the shear stress propagation and the debonding process of the whole interface for different bond lengths can be predicted. Secondly, through the analytical solutions, the influences of different bond lengths on the load-displacement curve and the ultimate load are studied. The stress transfer mechanism, the interface crack propagation and the ductility behavior of the joints can be explained.     

Numerical homogenization of cracking processes in thin fibre-epoxy layers

Discrete microscale fracture processes in thin fibre-epoxy layers are connected to a mesoscale traction-separation law through a numerical homogenization framework. The microscale fracture processes are studied with the finite element method, where cracking within the epoxy and debonding between fibres and epoxy is simulated by placing interface elements furnished with a mixed-mode interface damage model in between the continuum elements modelling the fibres and epoxy. It is demonstrated how the effective traction-separation response and the corresponding microscale fracture patterns under mesoscale tensile conditions depend on the sample size, the fibre volume fraction and the presence of imperfections.     

The Mori–Tanaka method for composite materials with nonlinear interface debonding

We have used the Mori–Tanaka method to study the effect of nonlinear interface debonding on the constitutive behavior of composite material with high particle volume fraction. The interface debonding is characterized by a nonlinear cohesive law determined from the fracture test of the high explosive PBX 9501. Using the example of the composite material with spherical particles subject to hydrostatic tension, we show that the particle size has an important effect on the behavior of the composite material, namely hardening for small particles and softening for large particles. The critical particle size that separates the hardening and softening behavior of the composite material is determined. For the composite material with large particles, the particle/matrix interface may undergo catastrophic debonding, i.e., sudden, dynamic debonding even under static load. The energy release during catastrophic debonding can be very large, thus may trigger the reaction or detonation of high explosives. For the high explosive PBX 9501, the energy release due to catastrophic debonding of coarse (large) particles is equivalent to the free drop of the high explosive from a height of 110 m. This value become much higher, 455 m, once the debonding of fine (small) particle is accounted for.     

Compression-shear failure of cementitious materials with oblique weak layers

Compressive/shear failure and strain-softening behavior of a bi-material system consisting of two different mortar compositions are studied. The bulk part of the bi-material specimen was made from the stronger mortar and was cast first, and then an oblique weak layer made from the weaker mortar was introduced in the middle of the specimen. By controlling the weak layer angle, thickness and strength, the compressive/shear failure characteristics and Mode-II shear strain-softening behavior have been determined. A bi-linear strain-softening model is proposed to consider both the Mode-II shear strain-softening behavior and the influence of friction due to compression. A linear softening law for the first part of the bi-linear model is sufficient to describe the softening curve after the peak load, but the second linear ‘softening’ relation is required to explain the influence of friction on the load and displacement curve. With the bi-linear model the Mode-II fracture energy G^f-ll can be separated from the frictional energy dissipation. It is also found that two different frictional coefficients exist if a load and displacement curve has distinct softening and pure frictional regions.     

The effect of initial geometric imperfection on the nonlinear resonance of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite rectangular plates

The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of initial geometric imperfection on the nonlinear dynamical characteristics of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) rectangular plates under a harmonic excitation transverse load. The considered plate is assumed to be made of matrix and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The rule of mixture is employed to calculate the effective material properties of the plate. Within the framework of the parabolic shear deformation plate theory with taking the influence of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia into account, Hamilton’s principle is utilized to derive the geometrically nonlinear mathematical formulation including the governing equations and corresponding boundary conditions of initially imperfect FG-CNTRC plates. Afterwards, with the aid of an efficient multistep numerical solution methodology, the frequency-amplitude and forcing-amplitude curves of initially imperfect FG-CNTRC rectangular plates with various edge conditions are provided, demonstrating the influence of initial imperfection, geometrical parameters, and edge conditions. It is displayed that an increase in the initial geometric imperfection intensifies the softening-type behavior of system, while no softening behavior can be found in the frequency-amplitude curve of a perfect plate.     

Influence of the loading path on the strength of fiber-reinforced composites subjected to transverse compression and shear

The influence of the loading path on the failure locus of a composite lamina subjected to transverse compression and out-of-plane shear is analyzed through computational micromechanics. This is carried out using the finite element simulation of a representative volume element of the microstructure, which takes into account explicitly fiber and matrix spatial distribution within the lamina. In addition, the actual failure mechanisms (plastic deformation of the matrix and interface decohesion) are included in the simulations through the corresponding constitutive models. Two different interface strength values were chosen to explore the limiting cases of composites with strong or weak interfaces. It was found that failure locus was independent of the loading path for the three cases analyzed (pseudo-radial, compression followed by shear and shear followed by compression) in the composites with strong and weak interfaces. This result was attributed to the fact that the dominant failure mechanism in each material was the same in transverse compression and in shear. Failure is also controlled by the same mechanisms under a combination of both stresses and the failure locus depended mainly on the magnitude of the stresses that trigger fracture rather than in the loading path to reach the critical condition.     

Plasticity of a two-phase composite with partially debonded inclusions

The effective elastoplastic behavior of a two-phase composite consisting of partially debonded elastic inclusions and a ductile matrix is investigated by a homogenization method. The method drew information from a recent study by the authors on the effective elastic moduli of the said composite and from an energy approach suggested by Qui and Weng, J. Appl. Mech., 59, 261 [1992] to address the homogenized plastic state of the heterogeneously deformed ductile matrix. Two types of partial debonding configuration are considered; the first is on the top and bottom of the aligned oblate inclusions and the other is on the lateral surface of the prolate ones, with special reference to spherical inclusions for both types of debonding. The transversely isotropic elastoplastic properties of the partially debonded composite are found to be highly dependent upon the debonding mode and the volume concentration and shape of inclusions. A damage mechanics based on Weibull's statistical function is also proposed to study the progressive partial debonding of the initially bonded composite under pure tension and under biaxial tension, respectively, for these two types of partial debonding. It is found that the interfacial strength, particle concentration, inclusion shape and debonding mode all play significant role in the overall response of the heterogeneous system during the progressive debonding process.     

Effects of fillers on fracture performance of thermoplastics: Strain energy density criterion

This paper presents the experimental results on the fracture performance of filled thermoplastics. The emphasis is put on verification of the validity of different fracture criteria. The effects of two- and three-dimensional fillers on the fracture toughness of a representative thermoplastic, polypropylene, are analyzed. It has been found that classical fracture mechanics do not properly describe the fracture behavior of these composites. The strain energy density theory provides a more appropriate criterion for predicting fracture. On the macroscopic scale, the addition of fillers leads to a reduction in the critical strain energy density of thermoplastics. However, on the microscopic level fillers enhance a more wide spread crack-growth and failure by fracture becomes more stable. The material is therefore less prone to shatter in service. This effect of fillers is interpreted in terms of damage development, induced by the debonding at the matrix/fillers interface. A better interfacial adhesion reduces the microscopic damage and the critical increment of crack growth prior to instability. The results explain the negative effect of coupling agent on the impact resistance observed in practice.     

Cohesive zone modeling of interfacial stresses in plated beams

The elastic analysis of interfacial stresses in plated beams has been the subject of several investigations. These studies provided both first-order and higher-order solutions for the distributions of interfacial shear and normal stresses close to the plate end in the elastic range. The notable attention devoted to this topic was driven by the need to develop predictive models for plate end debonding mechanisms, as the early models of this type adopted debonding criteria based on interfacial stresses. Currently, approaches based on fracture mechanics are becoming increasingly established. Cohesive zone modeling bridges the gap between the stress- and energy-based approaches. While several cohesive zone analyses of bonded joints subjected to mode-II loading are available, limited studies have been conducted on cohesive zone modeling of interfacial stresses in plated beams. Moreover, the few available studies present complex formulations for which no closed-form solutions can be found. This paper presents an analytical cohesive zone model for the determination of interfacial stresses in plated beams. A first-order analysis is conducted, leading to closed-form solutions for the interfacial shear stresses. The mode-II cohesive law is taken as bilinear, as this simple shape is able to capture the essential properties of the interface. A closed-form expression for the debonding load is proposed, and the comparison between cohesive zone modeling and linear-elastic fracture mechanics predictions is discussed. Analytical predictions are also compared with results of a numerical finite element model where the interface is described with zero-thickness contact elements, using the node-to-segment strategy and incorporating decohesion and contact within a unified framework.