A continuum damage model for glass/epoxy laminates in tension

The present work is concerned with the study of the damage behaviour of a composite material based on glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP). The main goal is to predict the rupture force using model equations that combine enough mathematical simplicity to allow their usage in engineering problems with the capability of describing a complex nonlinear mechanical behaviour. A model for tensile developed within the framework of Continuum Damage Mechanics that accounts for the effect of the load rate and temperature of the system is proposed and analyzed. The predicted values of tensile stress for different values of the load rate and temperature are compared with experimental data, showing a good agreement.