Fracture and mode mixity analysis of shear deformable composite beams

Abstract

To analyse delaminated composite beams with high accuracy under mixed-mode I/II fracture conditions first-, second-, third- and Reddy’s third-order shear deformable theories are discussed in this paper. The developed models are based on the concept of two equivalent single layers and the system of exact kinematic conditions. To deduce the equilibrium equations of the linearly elastic system, the principle of virtual work is utilised. As an example, a built-in configuration with different delamination position and external loads are investigated. The mechanical fields at the delamination tip are provided and compared to finite element results. To carry out the fracture mechanical investigation, the J-integral with zero-area path is introduced. Moreover, by taking the advantage of the J-integral, a partitioning method is proposed to determine the ratio of mode-I and mode-II in-plane fracture modes. Finally, in terms of the mode mixity, the results of the presented evaluation techniques are compared to numerical solutions and previously published models in the literature.