Simulations of Delamination Propagation in Composite Laminates under Static and Low-Velocity Impact Transverse Loads Using a New Cohesive Model

In this paper, we have proposed a new cohesive model to stably and accurately simulate delamination propagations in composite laminates under transverse loads. In this model, we set up a pre-softening zone in front of the original softening zone. In this pre-softening zone, the initial stiffness is gradually reduced as the interface strength decreases. However, the onset displacement for starting the real softening process is not changed in this model. The fracture toughness of materials for determining the final displacement of complete decohesion is not changed too. This cohesive model is implemented in the explicit time integration scheme. A DCB problem is employed to analyze the characteristics of the present cohesive model. Moreover, an experimental example of laminates under impact loads is employed to illustrate the validity of the present method.