Dynamic finite element analysis of laminated beams with delamination cracks using contact-impact conditions

A new finite element modeling technique is presented to investigate the static and dynamic behavior of laminated composite beams with partial delamination. In this study, a recently developed rectangular beam element is used. The element has lateral and axial displacements as degrees of freedom, but not rotation. For simplicity, linear shape functions are used for the beam element. As a result, the element has six degrees of freedom, four of which are the axial nodal displacements at the corner points and the other two are the lateral displacments at the ends. In addition, contact-impact conditions are applied to the finite element modeling to avoid overlapping of the upper and lower portions of a delaminated section. The numerical study shows that, depending on existence of an embedded delamination crack and its size, the response is different for a beam with a crack and subjected to a short impulse load. Hence, the present modeling technique may be used for detection of an embedded delamination crack.