• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.121-134
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• 2009

The present study investigated, both experimentally and numerically, the improvement of low-velocity impact damage resistance of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates due to through-the-thickness stitching. First, we conducted drop-weight impact tests for stitched and unstitched laminates. The results of damage inspection confirmed that stitching did improve the impact damage resistance, and revealed that the improvement effect became greater as the impact energy increased. Moreover, the stitching affected the through-the-thickness damage distribution. Next, we performed FEM analysis and calculated the energy release rate of the delamination crack using the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT). The numerical results revealed that the stitching affected the through-the-thickness damage distribution because the stitch threads had a marked effect on decreasing both the modes I and II energy release rate around the bottom of the laminate. Comparison of the results for models that contained delaminations of various sizes revealed that the energy release rate became lower as delamination size increased; therefore the stitching improved the impact resistance more effectively when the impact energy was higher.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.483-489
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• 2000

The purpose of this work is to investigate fatigue damage of quasi-isotropic laminates under tensile loading in different directions. Low cycle fatigue tests of $[0/-60/60]_s$ laminates and $[30/-30/90]_s$ laminates were carried out. Material systems used are AS4/Epoxy and AS4/PEEK. The fatigue damage of $[30/-30/90]_s$ is very different from that of $[0/-60/60]_s$. The experimental results are compared with the result obtained from the method for determining strain energy release rate components proposed by the authors. The analytical results were in good agreement with the experimental results. It is proved that the failure criterion based on the strain energy release rate is an appropriate approach to predict the initiation and growth of delaminations under cyclic loading.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.501-507
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• 2017

The predictive utility of a damage model depends heavily on its particular choice of a damage variable, which serves as a macroscopic approximation in describing the underlying micromechanical processes of microdefects. In the case of spatially perfectly randomly distributed microcracks or microvoids in all directions, isotropic damage model is an appropriate choice, and scalar damage variables were widely used for isotropic or one-dimensional phenomenological damage models. The simplicity of a scalar damage representation is indeed very attractive. However, a scalar damage model is of somewhat limited use in practice. In order to entirely characterize the isotropic damage behaviors of damaged materials in multidimensional space, a system theory of isotropic double scalar damage variables, including the expressions of specific damage energy release rate, the coupled constitutive equations corresponding to damage, the conditions of admissibility for two scalar damage effective tensors within the framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, was provided and analyzed in this study. Compared with the former studies, the theoretical formulations of double scalar damage variables in this study are given in the form of matrix, which has many features such as simpleness, directness, convenience and programmable characteristics. It is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned theoretical formulations are only logically reasonable. Owing to the limitations of time, conditions, funds, etc. they should be subject to multifaceted experiments before their innovative significance can be fully verified. The current level of research can be regarded as an exploratory attempt in this field.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.817-828
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• 2022

In this study, considering dissipated energy in fracture process zone (FPZ), a novel criterion based on maximum strain energy release rate (SER) for orthotropic materials is presented. General case of in-plane loading for cracks along the fibers is assumed. According to the experimental observations, crack propagation is supposed along the fibers and the reinforcement isotropic solid (RIS) concept is employed as a superior model for orthotropic materials. SER in crack initiation and propagation phases is investigated. Elastic properties of FPZ are extracted as a function of undamaged matrix media and micro-crack density. This criterion meaningfully links between dissipated energy due to toughening mechanisms of FPZ and the macroscopic fracture by defining stress intensity factors of the damaged zone. These coefficients are used in equations of maximum SER criterion. The effect of crack initiation angle and the damaged zone is considered simultaneously in this criterion and mode II stress intensity factor is extracted in terms of stress intensity factors of damage zone and crack initiation angle. This criterion can evaluate the effects of FPZ on the fracture behavior of orthotropic material. Good agreement between extracted fracture limit curves (FLC's) and available experimental data proves the ability of the new proposed criterion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.80-85
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• 1999

The purpose of this work is to investigate fatigue damage of quasi-isotropic laminates under tensile loading in different directions. Low cycle fatigue tests of [0/-60/+60]a laminates and [+30/-30/90]s lamina tes were carried out. Material systems used are AS4/Epoxy and AS4/PEEK. The fatigue damage of [+30/-30/90]s is very different from that of [0/-60/+60]s. The position of delamination generated at AS4/Epoxy and AS$/PEEK laminates were differentiated by the matrix difference that is, we suppose, the value of both GIcr(critical energy release rate of mode-I) and GIIIcr(critical energy release rate of mode-III) difference.

• Composites Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.8-16
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• 1999

In this study, when the applied directions of tensile loading is changed fatigue damage of quasi-isotropic composite laminates was discussed. Low cycle fatigue tests of $[0/-60/+60]_s$ laminates and $[+30/-30/90]_s$ laminates were carried out. Material systems used were AS4/Epoxy and AS4/PEEK. The fatigue damage of $[+30/-30/90]_s$ laminates differed from that of $[0/-60/+60]_s$ laminates. The position of delamination generated at AS4/Epoxy and AS4/PEEK $[+30/-30/90]_s$ laminates appeared differently according to the kind of matrix. Critical values of strain energy release rate were obtained by using the strain measured at the initiation of delamination. The experimental results agreed well with the results obtained by the proposed method for determining strain energy release rate.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.575-588
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• 1999

A boundary element method is applied to the analysis of crack trajectory in materials with complex microstructure, such as discontinuously reinforced composite materials, and systems subjected to complex loading, such as indentation. The path followed by the crack(s) has non-trivial geometry. A study of the stress intensity factors and fracture toughness of such systems must therefore be accompanied by an analysis of crack trajectory. The simulation is achieved using a dual boundary integral method in planar problems, and a single boundary integral method coupled with substructuring in axisymmetric problems. The direction of crack propagation is determined using the maximum mechanical energy release rate criterion. The method is demonstrated by application to (i) a composite material composed of components having the elastic properties of aluminium (matrix) and silicon carbide (reinforcement), and (ii) analysis of contact damage induced by the action of an indenter on brittle materials. The chief advantage of the method is the ease with which problems having complex geometry or loading (giving rise to complex crack trajectories) can be treated.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.151-166
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• 2007

High-cycle fatigue characteristics of quasi-isotropic carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates [-45/0/45/90]s up to $10^8$ cycles were investigated. To assess the fatigue behavior in the high-cycle region, fatigue tests were conducted at a frequency of 100 Hz, since it is difficult to investigate the fatigue characteristics in high-cycle at 5 Hz. Then, the damage behavior of the specimen was observed with a microscope, soft X-ray photography and a 3D ultrasonic inspection system. In this study, to evaluate quantitative characteristics of both transverse crack propagation and delamination growth in the high-cycle region, the energy release rate associated with damage growth in the width direction was calculated. Transverse crack propagation and delamination growth in the width direction were evaluated based on a modified Paris law approach. The results revealed that transverse crack propagation delayed under the test conditions of less than ${\sigma}_{max}/{\sigma}_b$ = 0.3 of the applied stress level.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.191-204
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• 2015

Control of the mechanical behavior of composite materials and structures under monotonic and dynamic loads for cracks and damage is a vast and complex area of research. The modeling of the different physical phenomena and behavior characteristics of a composite material during deformation play an important role in the structural design. Our study aims to analyze numerically the energy release rate parameter G of a composite laminated plate (glass or boron / epoxy) cross-ply [$+{\alpha}$, $-{\alpha}$] in the presence of a crack between two circular notches under the effect of several parameters such as fiber orientation ${\alpha}$, the crack orientation ${\beta}$, the orientation ${\gamma}$ of the two considered circular notches and the effect of mechanical properties. Our results show clearly that both notches orientation has more effect on G than the cracks and fibers orientations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.139-156
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• 2000

This paper concerns the development of a computational model for the damage evolution of engineering materials under dynamic loading. Two models describing the anisotropic damage evolution of a material are presented; the first is based on a power function of the effective equivalent stress and the second on the damage strain energy release rate. The methods for computing the damage accumulated in structural components and their implementation in a finite element programme are presented together with some numerical results. The dynamic response of a damaged structural component and the dynamic behaviour of a damaged material have been studied numerically. This study shows that the frequency spectrum of a damaged structure is down-shifted, while the damping ratio of damaged materials becomes higher, the amplitude of the response significantly increases and the resonance ensuing from the damage growth still occurs in a damaged structure.