Failure Analysis of Adhesively Bonded Structures: From Coupon Level Data to Structural Level Predictions and Verification

This paper presents a predictive methodology and verification through experiment for the analysis and failure of adhesively bonded, hat stiffened structures using coupon level input data. The hats were made of steel and carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite, respectively, and bonded to steel adherends. A critical strain energy release rate criterion was used to predict the failure loads of the structure. To account for significant geometrical changes observed in the structural level test, an adaptive virtual crack closure technique based on an updated local coordinate system at the crack tip was developed to calculate the strain energy release rates. Input data for critical strain energy release rates as a function of mode mixity was obtained by carrying out coupon level mixed mode fracture tests using the Fernlund–Spelt (FS) test fixture. The predicted loads at failure, along with strains at different locations, were compared with those measured from the structural level tests. The predictions were found to agree well with measurements for multiple replicates of adhesively bonded hat-stiffened structures made with steel hat/adhesive/steel and composite hat/adhesive/steel, thus validating the proposed methodology for failure prediction.     

Prediction of crack initiation and propagation of adhesive lap joints using an energy failure criterion

In a previous paper, the present authors have pointed out limitations of some fracture mechanics parameters and shown that the vectorial J-integral can be applied to adhesive joints. Here, problems concerning the practical application of the vectorial J-integral are discussed and a more suitable failure criterion has been proposed, based on a specific strain energy criterion. The specific energy is not so sensitive to the size of the integration zone since it is ‘averaged’ over the volume of the zone. This criterion has been used to model the crack initiation and propagation in single lap joints with a brittle adhesive and a ductile adhesive. The effect of the shrinkage thermal stresses, adhesive fillet, surface preparation and type of adherends (aluminium and steel) were studied. The predicted failure loads and crack patterns are in very good agreement with the experimental results. One of the major conclusions is that the predictions can explain well the experimental scatter band that is always present in single lap joints due to the difficulty of controlling the adhesive fillet.     

复合材料双面贴补修理拉伸解析分析模型及试验验证

复合材料胶接修理是一种有效并且低成本的修理技术。本文建立了复合材料层合板双面贴补胶接修理解析分析模型。模型中考虑了搭接区阶梯末端截面积变化细节。预测失效时,层合板采用最大应变准则,胶层采用最大剪应变准则和损伤区域理论。定义了残差函数来表征极限载荷解析计算结果与试验值的接近程度。通过试验对解析模型得到的等效刚度与极限载荷进行了验证。解析分析结果与试验数据对比表明:复合材料层合板双面贴补等效刚度随着搭接长度的增加单调增加。解析模型计算的等效刚度与试验结果最大误差不超过15%。当损伤特征长度为4%时,损伤区域理论对应极限载荷残差值最小,仅为4.30%,最大剪应变准则预测极限载荷的残差值为6.41%。解析模型分析表明,双面贴补极限载荷随着搭接长度的增加表现为快速增长、缓慢增长和几乎不增长三个阶段。搭接长度结合结构减重等限制因素应选择15~35mm为宜。     

Coupled stress and energy criterion for composite failure: Pointwise versus averaged evaluation of the stress criterion

Abstract

In this work, failure loads and failure modes of single lap adhesive joints between composite laminates are investigated. To this aim, a coupled stress and energy criterion is applied and results are compared to numerical reference solutions using cohesive zone modeling and to experimental values from literature. Possible failure modes are adhesive failure along the adherend/adhesive interface, adherend failure as intralaminar failure in the first ply closest to the adhesive layer and interlaminar failure between the first and second ply. Suitable failure criteria adressing the different failure modes are implemented within the framework of the coupled criterion. The stress criterion is carried out in a pointwise or in an averaged manner, called point method or line method respectively. It is shown that two physically sound failure modes can only be predicted using the stress criterion in an averaged manner since the pointwise evaluation does not allow the formation of certain types of cracks.     

Establishing a new Forming Limit Curve for a flax fibre reinforced polypropylene composite through stretch forming experiments

In developing an understanding of the failure in natural fibre reinforced polymer composites, the failure limits of this class of the material system are required. It is found that the conventional Forming Limit Curve is not suitable to predict the failure initiated in the natural fibre composite as principal strains cannot differentiate the strain on the flax fibres and the polypropylene matrix. This study proposes a new Forming Limit Curve for the composite which expresses limiting fibre strain as a function of forming mode depicted by the ratio of minor strain to major strain. The new Forming Limit Curve, along with the Maximum Strain failure criterion have been successfully implemented in FEA simulations, and numerical simulations suggest that the former is more accurate. The current work provides an innovative method to predict the onset of failure in natural fibre composites, which can be applied in composite forming and structural design.     

Perforation of rigid-plastic plate by blunt missile

Three rigid plastic models are presented to treat circular plate deformation during perforation by a rigid missile; these models are based on different assumptions for yield. The analysis considers plate bending, stretching and also shear around the periphery of a central plug. An equivalent strain failure criterion is developed that includes the influence of both shear and radial tensile strain on localized failure of the plate. Both this and a pure shear failure criterion of Shadbolt et al. [1] are used together with three structural deformation models to calculate the ballistic limit and final deformed profiles of plates. These calculations are compared with some experimental results for plates of different materials.     

On the reducibility of failure theories for composite materials

This paper reports on the initiation of an effort to address three ontological aspects of failure criteria as they are applicable to composite materials applications. The first attempts to clarify “what a criterion really is” from the perspective of physical objectivity. The second attempts to clarify “how a criterion relates with another” in terms of their main semantic attributes. The third attempts to identify “how one criterion is related to another” in terms of their syntactic representation in the context of term calculus especially from the perspective of polynomial association with the strain energy density.Under the first aspect the non-physical nature of a theory is exposed when it is used as a criterion and is evaluated from its semantic perspective. The human role on the formation of any failure criterion is shown to have a foundationally subjective character, thus, rendering the corresponding criterion as non-objective. Under the second aspect the creation of classification ontology in terms of the semantic projections of failure criteria in their structural heritage and usage contexts is given. The common attributes of failure criteria are utilized to identify the bases of the attribute space that can be used to enable their ontological classification. Web ontology software is utilized for visual interpretation of the ontological context.Under the third aspect the syntactic reducibility of the various known failure theories to one another is addressed. Thermodynamically founded strain energy density expansion leads to the creation of various generalized strain energy based criteria. Two theorems are proposed and proved to show that under specific conditions failure criteria and theories of certain polynomial structure are constrained renderings of criteria based on strain energy density. Examples are given to demonstrate how a critical energy density criterion represents the least upper bound in the partial ordered set of many well known failure criteria.     

Fracture criterion for kinking cracks in a tri-material adhesively bonded joint under mixed mode loading

The fracture behavior of a composite/adhesive/steel bonded joint was investigated by using double cantilever beam specimens. A starter crack is embedded at the steel/adhesive interface by inserting Teflon tape. The composite adherend is a random carbon fiber reinforced vinyl ester resin composite while the other adherend is cold rolled steel. The adhesive is a one-part epoxy that is heat cured. The Fernlund-Spelt mixed mode loading fixture was employed to generate five different mode mixities. Due to the dissimilar adherends, crack turning into the adhesive (or crack kinking) associated with joint failure, was observed. The bulk fracture toughness of the adhesive was measured separately by using standard compact tension specimens. The strain energy release rates for kinking cracks at the critical loads were calculated by a commercial finite element analysis software ABAQUS in conjunction with the virtual crack closure technique. Two fracture criteria related to strain energy release rates were examined. These are (1) maximum energy release rate criterion (G_max) and, (2) mode I facture criterion (G_II = 0). They are shown to be equivalent in this study. That is, crack kinking takes place at the angle close to maximum G or G_I (also minimum G_II, with a value that is approximately zero). The average value of G_IC obtained from bulk adhesive tests using compact tension specimens is shown to be an accurate indicator of the mode I fracture toughness of the kinking cracks within the adhesive layer. It is concluded that the crack in tri-material adhesively bonded joint tends to initiate into the adhesive along a path that promotes failure in pure mode I, locally.     

Failure analysis method of concrete arch dam based on elastic strain energy criterion

The arch dam is a type of massive water-retaining structure made of concrete. The overall failure mechanism and corresponding analysis criterion are key issues of concern in the dam engineering field. In this paper, the energy evolution of arch dams in the failure process is studied first, which can be decomposed as energy dissipation accompanied by concrete damage and elastic strain energy absorption and release during elastic deformation. An evaluation criterion for failure analysis of concrete arch dams is then established based on elastic strain energy. An orthotropic damage constitutive model for dam concrete is then proposed along with its numerical simulation method, which is established for structural failure analysis. Numerical simulations show that the elastic strain energy in elements increases with increasing overload safety coefficient and finally converges to the concrete material surface energy, at which time the locally plastic damage area develops rapidly and finally leads to cracking failure of structures. The proposed failure analysis criterion for concrete dams under integrated loads is suitable for analyzing dam instability failure, which has great operability and value in engineering applications in the future.     

Strength calculation of composite single lap joints with Fiber-Tear-Failure

The Fiber-Tear-Failure (FTF) is a common mode of failure in the adhesively bonded single lap joint having continuous fiber reinforced composite. Within single lap joints, presence of material and geometric discontinuities restrict the applicability of strength of material based approach for failure load prediction. Zone based approach appears promising in tackling discontinuity issues provided the right failure criterion and critical zone size are known. In this paper, a right failure prediction criterion is identified that can be used for the Fiber-Tear-Failure load prediction using zone based approach. Using a carbon fiber composite and an epoxy paste adhesive, failure modes were generated experimentally using different dimensions of lap joints. Several stress/strain based failure criteria for composite were tested. Critical zone size was calculated by performing the finite element analysis on a single lap joint with known failure load. For other joints, failure loads were calculated by adjusting the input loads in the analysis such that the failed zone size became the same as the critical zone size. The result reveals that Azzi–Tsai (Norris) criterion is capable of predicting failure loads of single lap joints with FTF.