Analysis of interlaminar stress and nonlinear dynamic response for composite laminated plates with interfacial damage

By considering the effect of interfacial damage and using the variation principle, three-dimensional nonlinear dynamic governing equations of the laminated plates with interfacial damage are derived based on the general sixdegrees-of-freedom plate theory towards the accurate stress analysis. The solutions of interlaminar stress and nonlinear dynamic response for a simply supported laminated plate with interfacial damage are obtained by using the finite difference method, and the results are validated by comparison with the solution of nonlinear finite element method. In numerical calculations, the effects of interfacial damage on the stress in the interface and the nonlinear dynamic response of laminated plates are discussed.     

Free-edge stress analysis of general composite laminates under extension, torsion and bending

In this study, based on the reduced form of elasticity displacement field for a long laminate, an analytical method is established to exactly obtain the interlaminar stresses near the free edges of generally laminated composite plates subjects to extension, torsion, and bending. The constant parameters being in the displacement field, which describe the global deformation of a laminate, are appropriately calculated by using the improved first-order shear deformation theory. Reddy’s layerwise theory is subsequently employed for analytical and numerical examinations of the boundary layer stresses within arbitrary laminated composite plates. Various numerical results are developed for the interlaminar normal and shear stresses along the interfaces and through the thickness of laminates near the free edges. Finally the effects of end conditions of laminates and geometric parameters on the boundary-layer stress are studied.     

Dynamic 4 ENF test for a strain rate dependent mode II interlaminar fracture toughness characterization of unidirectional carbon fibre epoxy composites

A dynamic 4ENF testing procedure has been proposed to characterize the influence of loading rate on mode II fracture interlaminar toughness of a unidirectional composite material. The stable crack growth accomplished by the proposed dynamic 4ENF procedure allows achievement of the R-curves and the in-situ compliance calibration of each specimen. This enables performance of a monotonic dynamic test and presents a great advantage for the dynamic interlaminar characterization of the composite material. The dynamic G_IIC-s values obtained are similar to those determined by quasi-static loading conditions, which suggests that the proposed testing procedure is able to determine accurately the dynamic G_IIC of a composite material. However, for the tested material and within the analysed loading rate range, both the determined R-curves and G_IIC values do not show any clear sign of loading rate dependence.     

Improving the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber/epoxy composites using clustered microcapsules

The composite laminates are susceptible to delamination between reinforcing plies during their long-term service. In this paper, we propose a modified carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminate with embedded clustered dual-component microcapsules in order to increase the interlaminar fracture toughness of the lamina. The details of microcapsules were illustrated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The modified CF/EP composite laminates were fabricated using hot-compaction technique. Mode I interlaminar fracture tests were conducted using double cantilever beam specimens, then the values of opening fracture toughness G_IC were calculated to evaluate the toughening effect of modified laminates. The toughening mechanism was revealed and discussed through micrographs of the fracture surfaces obtained by ultra-depth microscope and SEM. The results show that clustered microcapsules after polymerization are equal to special Z-pinning, significantly enhancing the ability of crack arrest, and largely and roundly improved the G_IC values of resultant composite laminates. Meanwhile, the clustered microcapsules and matrix resin formed a second-phase material layer, which also absorbed the fracture energy and suppressed the expansion of cracks.     

On the lower bounds for critical loads under large deformations in non-linear hyperelastic composites with imperfect interlaminar adhesion

The present paper investigates a mechanism of compressive fracture for heterogeneous incompressible non-linear materials with special kinds of defects of interfacial adhesion under large deformations. The analysis finds the lower bounds for the critical load. In order to calculate the bounds, the problem of the internal instability is considered within the scope of the exact statement based on the application of the model of a piecewise-homogeneous medium and the equations of the 3-D stability theory. The solution of the 3-D problem is found for the most general case accounting for large deformations and the biaxiality of compressive loads. The characteristic determinants are derived for the first four modes, which are more commonly observed. Special attention is given to the calculation of critical loads for hyperelastic layers described by a simplified version of Mooney's potential, namely the neo-Hookean potential.     

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.     

Effect of phase change microcapsules on the thermo-mechanical,fracture and heat storage properties of unidirectional carbon/epoxy laminates

This work aims at producing and characterizing unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites containing different fractions of paraffin microcapsules (MC) for thermal management applications. The viscosity of the epoxy/MC mixtures increases with the MC content, thereby increasing the final matrix weight and volume fraction and reducing that of the fibers. This is at the basis of the decrease in mechanical properties of the laminates with high MC concentration (the elastic modulus decreases up to 53% and the flexural strength up to 67%), but the application of theoretical models shows that this decrease is only due to the lower fiber volume fraction, and not to a change in the properties of the constituents or the fiber/matrix interaction. The MC phase is preferentially distributed in the interlaminar zone, which leads to a thickening of this region and a decrease in matrix-related properties, such as the interlaminar shear strength, which decreases of up to 70%. However, a modest MC fraction causes an increase in the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of 48%, due to the introduction of new toughening mechanisms. On the other hand, an excessive MC content lets the crack propagating through the matrix and not at the fiber/matrix interface, thereby reducing the toughening mechanism provided by fiber bridging. For the thermal properties, the phase change enthalpy increases with the MC fraction up to 48.7 J/g, and this is reflected in better thermal management performance, as proven by thermal imaging tests. These results are promising for the development of multifunctional polymer composites with thermal energy storage and thermal management properties, and future works will be focused on a deeper study of the micromechanical properties of PCM microcapsules and on the improvement of the capsule/matrix adhesion.     

Comparison of static and fatigue interlaminar testing methods for continuous fiber reinforced polymer composites

Two different interlaminar fatigue testing methods have been compared by testing a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy (CF/EP) composite and a carbon fiber/multiwalled carbon nanotube reinforced epoxy (CF/MWCNT/EP) hybrid nanocomposite. The first, conventional fatigue testing method was the end-notched flexure (ENF) test, which was used as a reference. The second, novel technique was the fatigue interpretation of the double-notch shear (DNS) test. Both tests have been performed with static and cyclic loading to compare the evaluated properties of the different systems, the effect of transition from cyclic to fatigue loading and to demonstrate if the complex ENF test can be replaced by the simpler DNS test.The test results showed the slight beneficial effect of the nanoreinforcement in both static and cyclic load conditions, and the possibility to use the DNS test for fatigue testing of continuous fiber reinforced composites. The SEM micrographs taken of the fracture surfaces of the composites after the different interlaminar tests provide valuable data on the interlaminar failure phenomena of hybrid nanocomposites in both static and fatigue loading conditions.     

Behaviour of thick composite tubes considering of delamination

The present paper deals with plane finite element analysis of thick composite tubes. Thick composite tubes are commonly used in marine industry and in deep-water offshore applications. Two kinds of interlaminar delamination type defect in a thick walled cylinder subjected to external pressure were confronted; an annular or ring like delamination and a strip delamination. Two finite element models were developed to predict the strain energy release rate at the delamination fronts. In these models the effects of the processing history of the composite material in the form of a uniform thermal load were also included to simulate the state of the residual stress in the composite. The considered defects are studied by means of the effect of buckling, investigating the annular and the strip delamination buckling, and the subsequent loss of load carrying capacity of the delaminated region.     

Shear deformation in thermal bending analysis of laminated plates by the GDQ method

The interlaminar stresses and deflections in a laminated rectangular plate under thermal bending were determined by using the generalized differential quadrature method involving the effect of shear deformation. The approximate stress and deflection solutions are obtained under the bending of sinusoidal temperature of thermal load for layer in cross-ply laminates and angle-ply laminates. Numerical results show that the shear deformation has significant effects on the dominant interlaminar stresses and deflections in the laminated plate of thermal bending analysis.