Paper Title:

Automatic Insertion of Cohesive Elements for Delamination Modelling

Periodical Key Engineering Materials (Volume 383)
Main Theme Progress in Fracture and Damage Mechanics
Edited by B.G. Falzon and M.H. Aliabadi
Pages 53-66
DOI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.383.53
Citation I. Guiamatsia et al., 2008, Key Engineering Materials, 383, 53
Online since June, 2008
Authors I. Guiamatsia, Brian G. Falzon, G.A.O. Davies
Keywords ABAQUS, Damage Modelling, Delamination, Interface Element, Path Prediction
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Abstract

Composite damage modelling with cohesive elements has initially been limited to the analysis of interface damage or delamination. However, their use is also being extended to the analysis of inplane tensile failure arising from matrix or fibre fracture. These interface elements are typically placed at locations where failure is likely to occur, which infers a certain a priori knowledge of the crack propagation path(s). In the case of a crack jump for example, the location of the jump is usually not obvious, and the simulation would require the placement of cohesive elements at all element faces. A better option, presented here, is to determine the potential location of cohesive elements and insert them during the analysis. The aim of this work is to enable the determination of the crack path, as part of the solution process. A subroutine has been developed and implemented in the commercial finite element package ABAQUS/Standard[1] in order to automatically insert cohesive elements within a pristine model, on the basis of the analysis of the current stress field. Results for the prediction of delamination are presented in this paper.