Layerwise modeling of progressive damage in fiber-reinforced composite laminates

This paper investigates the effects of discrete layer transverse shear strain and discrete layer transverse normal strain on the predicted progressive damage response and global failure of fiber-reinforced composite laminates. These effects are isolated using a hierarchical, displacement-based 2-D finite element model that includes the first-order shear deformation model (FSD), type-I layerwise models (LW1) and type-II layerwise models (LW2) as special cases. Both the LW1 layerwise model and the more familiar FSD model use a reduced constitutive matrix that is based on the assumption of zero transverse normal stress; however, the LW1 model includes discrete layer transverse shear effects via in-plane displacement components that are C ⁰ continuous with respect to the thickness coordinate. The LW2 layerwise model utilizes a full 3-D constitutive matrix and includes both discrete layer transverse shear effects and discrete layer transverse normal effects by expanding all three displacement components as C ⁰ continuous functions of the thickness coordinate. The hierarchical finite element model incorporates a 3-D continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model that predicts local orthotropic damage evolution and local stiffness reduction at the geometric scale represented by the homogenized composite material ply. In modeling laminates that exhibit either widespread or localized transverse shear deformation, the results obtained in this study clearly show that the inclusion of discrete layer kinematics significantly increases the rate of local damage accumulation and significantly reduces the predicted global failure load compared to solutions obtained from first-order shear deformable models. The source of this effect can be traced to the improved resolution of local interlaminar shear stress concentrations, which results in faster local damage evolution and earlier cascading of localized failures into widespread global failure.     

考虑温度梯度的模态应变能法海洋平台损伤检测研究

针对导管架式海洋平台,研究了海水温度梯度对结构整体损伤检测方法之一的模态应变能法的影响。以一个导管架平台为模型,考虑温度对钢材弹性模量的影响,建立了该平台在模拟的海水温度梯度下的有限元模型。通过使用模态应变能法对该模型进行损伤检测,总结了温度梯度对基于模态应变能法的海洋平台损伤检测的影响规律。结果表明温度梯度会使该方法损伤定位能力变弱,对结构冗余度越大的构件影响越大;同时会使损伤程度识别精度降低,构件结构冗余度越大、损伤程度越小,影响越大。     

温度变化下复合材料层合板的试验模态分析

通过动力测试试验研究了环境条件变化对复合材料层合板振动特性的影响 , 这对于复合材料结构基于动力响应健康监测和振动控制系统设计使用的安全性具有重要意义。在不同温度条件下利用锤击以及激振器实验方法测定复合材料层合板的动力响应 , 采用随机子空间法 (SSI) 识别了其固有频率、 阻尼以及模态振型。研究结果表明 , 复合材料层合板结构固有频率及阻尼比与温度变化存在逆相关关系 , 而所识别的模态振型变化并没有非常清晰的相关关系。分析结果进一步表明 , 复合材料结构振动控制和健康监测系统设计过程中需要考虑上述影响。      

Damage detection in T-joint composite structures

The use of composite structures in engineering applications has proliferated over the past few decades. This is mainly due to their distinct advantages of high structural performance, high corrosion resistance, and high strength/weight ratio. They are however prone to fibre breakage, matrix cracking and delaminations which are often invisible. Although there are systems to detect such damage, the characterisation of the damage is often much more difficult to achieve. A study is presented of the strain distribution of a GFRP T-joint structure under tensile pull-out loads and the determination of the presence and the extent of disbonds. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been conducted by placing delaminations of different sizes at various locations along the structure. The FEA results are also validated experimentally. The resulting strain distribution from the FEA is pre-processed by a method developed called the damage relativity assessment technique (DRAT). Artificial neural networks (ANNs) were used to determine the extent of damage. A real-time system has been developed which detects the presence, location and extent of damage from the longitudinal strains obtained from a set of sensors placed on the surface of the structure. The system developed is also independent of the magnitude of load acting on the structure.     

Optimization of piezoelectric sensor location for delamination detection in composite laminates

The optimal placement of sensors is a critical issue in detecting damage in laminated composite structures. The aim is to use a minimum number of sensors, placed at the correct locations, so that the voltage signals received from the sensor set can be used to detect both the presence and the extent of damage. In this study, an optimization procedure is developed to detect arbitrarily located discrete delamination in composite plates using distributed piezoelectric sensors. The probability of damage distribution in the plate is determined using a statistical model. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to detect the number and location of the sensors. The analysis uses a Monte Carlo method to generate the initial population. The simulation and signal processing is performed using a finite element procedure based on the refined layer-wise theory, which is capable of modelling ply-level stresses, and seeded delaminations are modelled with Heaviside step functions. A two-way electromechanical coupled field formulation is used to describe the induced strain. The objective function is a damage index which compares the voltage signals from a healthy (no delamination) and a statistically determined delaminated model. The voltage signals are affected by the local changes in the strain induced by the presence of delamination. The optimization solutions are verified by numerical simulation as well as with experiments conducted using customized piezoelectric sensors and a laser scanning vibrometer. The results presented show that the optimum sensor pattern is capable of detecting discrete seeded delaminations in moderately thick composite plates.     

Mesh design in finite element analysis of post-buckled delamination in composite laminates

The role of mesh design in the post-buckling analysis of delamination in composite laminates is addressed in this paper. The determination of the strain energy release rate (SERR) along the crack front is central to the analysis. Frequently, theoretical analysis is limited to treatment of the problem in two dimensions, since considerable complexity is encountered in extending the analysis to three dimensions. However, many practical problems of embedded delamination in composite laminates are inherently three-dimensional in nature. Although in such cases, the finite element (FE) method can be employed, there are some issues that must be examined more closely to ensure physically realistic models. One of these issues is the effect of mesh design on the determination of the local SERR along the delamination front. There are few studies that deal with this aspect systematically. In this paper, the effect of mesh design in the calculation of SERR in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) FE analyses of the post-buckling behavior of embedded delaminations is studied and some guidelines on mesh design are suggested. Two methods of calculation of the SERR are considered: the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) and crack closure technique (CCT). The 2D analyses confirm that if the near-tip mesh is symmetric and consists of square elements, then the evaluation of the SERR is not sensitive to mesh refinement, and a reasonably coarse mesh is adequate. Despite agreement in the global post-buckling response of the delaminated part, the SERR calculated using different unsymmetrical near-tip meshes could be different. Therefore, unsymmetrical near-tip meshes should be avoided, as convergence of the SERR with mesh refinement could not be assured. While the results using VCCT and CCT for 2D analyses agree well with each other, these techniques yield different quantitative results when applied to 3D analyses. The reason may be due to the way in which the delamination growth is modeled. The CCT allows simultaneous delamination advance over finite circumferential lengths, but it is very difficult to implement and the results exhibit mesh dependency. Qualitatively, however, the two sets of results show similar distributions of Mode I and Mode II components of the SERR. This is fortunate, since the VCCT is relatively easy to implement.     

用应变能密度法分析纤维金属层板的微动疲劳特性

为研究纤维金属层板的微动疲劳特性,首先,基于三维坐标系下的临界平面法求解了纤维金属层板铝层临界平面上的应力和应变分量,并进一步求解了Smith-Watson-Topper （SWT）和I型Nita-Ogatta-Kuwabara （NOK）应变能密度参数;然后,建立了应变能密度参数-微动疲劳寿命关系式,并通过实验数据得到了寿命预测公式中的待定参数;最后,采用I型NOK应变能密度准则分析了铝层厚度、纤维层厚度、各层相对厚度和桥足圆角半径等对微动疲劳损伤位置和寿命的影响,并为纤维金属层板抗微动疲劳设计提出了一些合理化建议。结果表明:增加铝层厚度可以延长微动疲劳寿命,但增加纤维层厚度和桥足圆角半径不会改善微动疲劳特性。提出的方法可为分析纤维金属层板铆接和螺栓连接中的微动疲劳问题提供理论依据。      

Damage detection in holed composite laminates using an embedded FBG sensor

This paper discusses damage detection in a holed CFRP laminate under static and cyclic loading using an embedded fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor. In order to detect the damage extension in the laminate, the change in the spectrum shape was measured using an embedded FBG sensor and was compared with that obtained by numerical simulation. The shape of the reflection spectrum did not change during the cyclic load test; however, it did change with increased strain in the static load test, due to damage around the hole. To clarify this difference, the polished surface of the cross section of the specimen was analyzed. Debonding was observed between the optical fiber and matrix during the cyclic load test. These results lead us to conclude that fatigue damage around a hole in a composite laminate may not be detected with an FBG sensor due to the debondings.     

Buckling of the composite laminates containing through-the-width delaminations using different plate theories

The buckling behavior of the composite laminates with through-the-width delaminations is studied by using different plate theories. The analytical method is based on the CLPT, FSDT and HSDT plate theories. The formulation is developed on the basis of the Rayleigh–Ritz technique by the implementation of the simple polynomial series. The contact among sublaminates is handled. The three-dimensional FEM analysis is also performed by using ANSYS5.4 commercial software, and the results are compared with those obtained by the analytical models. The agreement between the results is very good.     

Damage and failure in low energy impact of fiber-reinforced polymeric composite laminates

We analyze the damage initiation, damage progression, and failure during 3-dimensional (3-D) elasto-plastic deformations of a fiber reinforced polymeric laminated composite impacted by a low speed rigid sphere, and compare computed results with experimental findings available in the literature. Damage is assumed to initiate when one of Hashin’s failure criteria is satisfied, and its evolution is modeled by an empirical relation proposed by Matzenmiller, Lubliner and Taylor. The transient nonlinear problem is solved by the finite element method (FEM). Contributions of the work include considering damage in 3-D rather than plane stress deformations of a laminated structure and elasto-plastic deformations of the composite. This has been accomplished by developing a user defined subroutine and implementing it in the FE software ABAQUS. From strains supplied by ABAQUS the material subroutine uses a micro-mechanics approach based on the method of cells and values of material parameters of constituents to calculate average stresses in an FE, and checks for Hashin’s failure criteria. If damage has initiated in the material, the subroutine evaluates the damage developed, computes resulting stresses, and provides them to ABAQUS. The damage evolved at a material point is not allowed to decrease during unloading. The delamination failure mode is simulated by using the cohesive zone model available in ABAQUS. The computed time histories of the axial load acting on the impactor are found to agree well with the experimental ones available in the literature, and various damage and failure modes agree qualitatively with those observed in tests.     

准静态压痕力作用下复合材料层压板的损伤阻抗分析

建立了一种复合材料层压板在准静态压痕力作用下的损伤阻抗的预测方法。首先分别针对基体破坏、分层、 纤维断裂等失效模式引入相应的失效变量 , 并建立不同失效模式下的刚度折减方法 , 然后采用基于应变描述的 Hashin和 Yeh失效准则并结合有限元方法 , 对复合材料层压板在准静态压痕力作用下的破坏过程进行渐进损伤分析 , 在此基础上进一步预测了层压板的损伤阻抗。采用商用有限元软件 ABAQUS/ Standard 的 UMAT用户子程序实现数值模拟。计算结果表明 , 分层起始与扩展是导致载荷2位移曲线发生第 1 次卸载的主要原因 , 当接触力达到其最大值时出现较明显的纤维断裂。分层起始载荷和最大接触力的预测结果与实验数据吻合良好。     

Damage detection of CFRP laminates using electrical resistance measurement and neural network

As carbon fibers are electrical conductors, the measurement of the electrical resistance appears to be a valuable technique for the in situ detection of various types of damage in carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) laminates. In such cases, carbon fibers are both the reinforcement and the sensor to detect damage in CFRP laminates. The damage-detecting method of CFRP laminates by electrical resistance measurement that are investigated in this study is made possible by attaching electrodes on the surface of the CFRP structures without special manufacturing.

In this paper, we investigate the electrical resistance change as a damage parameter of fatigue damage such as the degradation of residual strength and stiffness. The measured stiffness and electrical resistance change during fatigue tests showed a very similar trend of change. This is because cumulative fatigue damage is represented by the degradation of residual stiffness; these damages also cause change in electrical resistance. Thus, we can use this change in electrical resistance as a damage parameter. We also predict the future damage of composite laminates in fatigue loading from electrical resistance damage model by following a stiffness degradation model. Electrical resistance gradually increased as the stiffness reduced, and showed a very abrupt change when final fatigue failure was imminent. The predicted value showed good agreement with the experimental data except in the final stage, where stiffness and electrical resistance changed abruptly.     

Fatigue life prediction of composite laminates by FEA simulation method

This paper is to simulate the fatigue damage evolution in composite laminates and predict fatigue life of the laminates with different lay-up sequences on the basis of the fatigue characteristics of longitudinal, transverse and in-plane shear directions by finite element analysis (FEA) method. In FEA model, considering the scatter of the material’s properties, each element was assigned with different material’s properties. The stress analysis was carried out in MSC Patran/Nastran, and a modified Hashin’s failure criterion was applied to predict the failure of the elements. A new stiffness degradation model was proposed and applied in the simulation and then a strength degradation model was deduced, which is coupled with the presented stiffness degradation model. The reduced or discounted elastic constants were determined based on the failure mechanism of the laminates and the restrictive conditions of orthotropic property. The fatigue behavior and fatigue life of six kinds of E-glass/epoxy composite laminates with different lay-up sequences were experimentally studied, and the S–N curves and stiffness degradation models in longitudinal, transverse and in-plane shear direction were obtained. These fatigue data were adopted in the simulation to simulate fatigue behavior and estimate life of the laminates. The simulation results, including the fatigue life predicted and the residual stiffness, were coincident with the experimental results well except for the quasi-isotropic laminate for the lack of consideration of the out-of-plane fatigue character in the simulation.     

Low-velocity impact and residual tensile strength analysis to carbon fiber composite laminates

In this paper, low-velocity impact characteristics and residual tensile strength of carbon fiber composite laminates are investigated by experimentally and numerically. Low-velocity impact tests and residual tensile strength tests are performed using an instrumented drop-weight machine (Instron 9250HV) and static test machine (Instron 5569), respectively. The finite element (FE) software, ABAQUS/Explicit is employed to simulate low-velocity impact characteristics and predict residual tensile strength of carbon fiber composites laminates. These numerical investigations create a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT) to enhance the damage simulation which includes Hashin and Yeh failure criteria. The impact contact force and the tensile strength are accurately estimated using the present method. Two different tensile damage modes after different impact energies are observed. The degradation of residual tensile strengths can be divided to three stages for different impact energies, and amplitudes of degradation are affected by stacking sequences.     

Off-axis fatigue crack growth and the associated energy release rate in composite laminates

Stable matrix crack growth behaviour under mechanical fatigue loading has been studied in a quasi-isotropic (0/90/-45/+45)_s GFRP laminate. Detailed experimental observations were made on the accumulation of cracks and on the growth of individual cracks in +45° as well as 90° plies. A generalised plain strain finite element model of the damaged laminate has been constructed. This model has been used to relate the energy release rate of growing cracks to the crack growth rate via a Paris relation.     

Optimization of segmented constrained layer damping with mathematical programming using strain energy analysis and modal data

A new method for enhancement of damping capabilities of segmented constrained layer damping material is proposed. Constrained layer damping has been extensively used since many years to damp flexural vibrations. The shear deformation occurring in the viscoelastic core is mainly responsible for the dissipation of energy. Cutting both the constraining and the constrained layer, which leads to segmentation, increases the shear deformation at that position. This phenomenon is called edge effect. A two-dimensional model of a cantilever beam has been realized for further investigations. An optimization algorithm using mathematical programming is developed in order to identify a cuts arrangement that optimizes the loss factor. The damping efficiency is estimated using the modal strain energy method. The Nelder–Mead simplex method is used to find the best distribution of cuts. In order to take into account geometrical limitations, the exterior point penalty method is used to transform the constrained objective function into an unconstrained objective function. As the optimization problem is not convex, a modal analysis is performed at each mode in order to identify initial cuts positions that lead to a global minimum. Over a large frequency range, the algorithm is able to identify a distribution of cuts that optimizes the loss factor of each mode under consideration.     

Finite element analysis of postbuckling and delamination of composite laminates using virtual crack closure technique

The two-dimensional and three-dimensional parametric finite element analysis (FEA) of composite flat laminates with two through-the-width delamination types: 0₄/(±θ)₆//0₄ and 0₄//(±θ)₆//0₄ (θ = 0°, 45°, and “//” denotes the delaminated interface) under compressive load are performed to explore the effects of multiple delaminations on the postbuckling properties. The virtual crack closure technique which is employed to calculate the energy release rate (ERR) for crack propagation is used to deal with the delamination growth. Three typical failure criteria: B-K law, Reeder law and Power law are comparatively studied for predicting the crack propagation. Effects of different mesh sizes and pre-existing crack length on the delamination growth and postbuckling properties of composite laminates are discussed. Interaction between the delamination growth mechanisms for multiple cracks for 0₄//(±θ)₆//0₄ composite laminates is also investigated. Numerical results using FEA are also compared with those by existing models and experiments.     

Free vibration and buckling analysis of laminated composite plates using the NURBS-based isogeometric finite element method

An isogeometric finite element method based on non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) basis functions is developed for natural frequencies and buckling analysis of thin symmetrically laminated composite plates based upon the classical plate theory (CPT). The approximation of the solution space for the deflection field of the plate and the parameterization of the geometry are performed using NURBS-based approach. The essential boundary conditions are formulated separately from the discrete system equations by the aid of Lagrange multiplier method, while an orthogonal transformation technique is also applied to impose the essential boundary conditions in the discrete eigen-value equation. The accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed method are thus demonstrated through a series of numerical experiments of laminated composite plates with different boundary conditions, fiber orientations, lay-up number, eigen-modes, etc. The obtained numerical results are then compared with either the analytical solutions or other available numerical methods, and excellent agreements are found.     

基于代数算法的单元模态应变能灵敏度分析

模态应变能在基于振动的结构损伤识别中得到了广泛的应用,其灵敏度分析成为了当前的一个重要问题。采用代数方法解析推导出了无阻尼线性系统单元模态应变能一阶和二阶灵敏度的解析表达式,该表达式简洁紧凑,便于编程,而且只需一阶模态信息,不存在模态截断引起的误差问题。通过数值模拟算例,对得到的单元模态应变能一阶灵敏度进行了参数分析,并着重考查了损伤及其噪声的影响。结果表明,低阶单元模态应变能比高阶模态能更好地反映出结构损伤,而且抗噪能力更好。     

Wavelet analysis of plate wave propagation in composite laminates

A new approach is presented for the analysis of transient waves propagating in composite laminates. The wavelet transform (WT) using the Gabor wavelet is applied to the time–frequency analysis of dispersive plate waves. It is shown that the peaks of the magnitude of WT in the time–frequency domain are related to the arrival times of group velocity. Experiments are performed using a lead break as the simulated acoustic emission source on the surface of quasi-isotropic and unidirectional graphite/epoxy laminates. For predictions of the dispersion of the flexural mode, Mindlin plate theory is shown to give good agreement with the experimental results. The planar source location based on the flexural wave is performed using a triangulation method. The use of frequency-dependent arrival time of output signal and angular dependence of group velocity provides accurate results of source location for anisotropic laminates.