Progressive damage and failure analysis of composite laminates using XFEM/CZM coupled approach

The aim of this study is to establish a high-fidelity mesoscale numerical simulation tool which can predict the progressive damages and resultant failure of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) laminates. In the proposed tool, the plastic behavior (i.e. pre-peak nonlinearity in the local stress-strain response) is characterized through the pressure-dependent elasto-plastic constitutive law. Moreover, the evolution of matrix crack and delamination, which result in post-peak softening in the local stress-strain response, is modelled through cohesive zone model (CZM). While the CZM for delamination is introduced through the interface element, the CZM for matrix crack is introduced through the extended finite element method (XFEM). Additionally, fiber failure which typically depends on the specimen size is modelled by Weibull criterion. Finally, the validity of proposed methodology was tested against the off-axis compression (OAC) test of unidirectional laminates and the open-hole tensile (OHT) test of quasi-isotropic laminates.