Application of the CZM Technique to Delamination Analysis of Coupled Laminate Beams

Abstract

These days composite materials are widely used as elements of various machinery. They are applied as reliable machinery parts e.g. in aviation or automotive. This paper is referred to coupled laminates, which are one of composite materials types. Most common damage form in laminates is delamination. The aim of this paper is to show how to use Cohesive Zone Model technique (CZM) to model fracture propagation in laminate specimens. Finite element models were constructed using shell type elements in ABAQUS, which allows to analyze fracture propagation involving cohesive zone effect [5]. This operation needs many material constants which obtaining experimentally is problematic . The FE analysis is helpful in reasonable planning the stand tests and shows the accuracy of experimental studies. It also provides a lot of relevant information on laminate properties. Boundary conditions, loads and the obtained fracture toughness distributions of the numerical models of coupled laminate beams correspond to the mode I and mode II delamination propagation: the double-cantilever beam (DCB) and the end-notched flexure (ENF) [1, 3].