Damage Modeling of Notched Graphite/Epoxy Sandwich Panels in Compression

Open-hole honeycomb sandwich panels with woven graphite/epoxy facesheets and Nomex cores were tested uniaxially in compression to characterize their damage tolerance. A plain weave T-300 graphite fiber fabric was used for the facesheets in two stacking sequences: 45/0₂] and 0₃]. Observations of macroscopic sub-critical damage behavior were different in the two material systems. Linear damage zones (LDZ), consisting of fiber micro-buckles and extensive delamination, were typically observed in the 0₃] material. The 45/0₂] material exhibited a delamination/bulge zone (DBZ), which consisted of an out-of-plane curved deformation of the outer 45° ply accompanied by a delamination from the interior 0° plies. Modeling of these apparently distinct failure modes, and comparison to experimental data, revealed that the only mode representative of damage tolerant behavior is linear damage zone formation and propagation for both material systems, and that the delamination/bulge behavior is a secondary phenomenon.