Search results for "Mode II"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Frictional Effects on 4ENF Delamination Tests Performed on Unidirectional CFRP
2015
Abstract Progressive delamination in composite materials under static or fatigue loading condition are, in many structures, one of the predominant cause of failure. In the paper, an accurate study of quasi-static delamination growth under mode II loading condition is conducted. Several experimental tests are performed on composite laminates consisting of unidirectional carbon/epoxy layers. Four-point end-notched flexure (4ENF) test is employed in order to characterize the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness. The R-curve is obtained by means of optical and numerical determination of crack tip position. The energy release rate and the crack length are calculated through experimental deter…
The effect of through-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness
2017
Abstract The effect of through-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness is investigated experimentally and replicated numerically. The modified Transverse Crack Tensile specimen recently proposed by the authors is used, together with an experimental device designed to apply a constant transverse compressive stress on the surface of the specimen. Experiments are conducted using IM7/8552 specimens for different compressive stresses, ranging from 0 to 100 MPa, covering all the practical applications commonly encountered in the aeronautical industry (e.g., tightened filled holes or bolted joints). It is shown that mode II interlaminar fracture toughness increases …
A nonlinear finite element approach with cohesive-frictional interfaces for mode II Transverse Crak Tension test insight
2016
In many circumstances structural failure modes are driven by the formation and propagation of fractures. For instance in composite laminate structures one of the most worrying condition is delamination, which is an interlaminar progressive fracture. Fracture toughness is the material mechanical parameters which ensure fracture safe condition and it is also an essential parameter for performing nonlinear structural analysis, no matter if based on Fracture Mechanics or by means of Interface Cohesive theories. It is then of paramount relevance to evaluate the critical fracture energy by means of simple and reliable laboratory tests. Several tests are available for the direct determination of m…
Infrared Thermography assisted evaluation of static and fatigue Mode II fracture toughness in FRP composites
2019
Abstract The work proposes the combined use of a Modified Transverse Crack Tension (MTCT) test coupon and Infrared Thermography, to evaluate the static and fatigue behaviour of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites under Mode II delamination. Artificial delaminations starters are added to the TCT coupon, whose effects on the Strain Energy Release Rate are discussed. Infrared Thermography and Thermoelastic Stress Analysis are implemented to investigate stresses and delaminations growths on two FRP materials: a pre-preg IM7/8552 carbon fibre-epoxy and a glass-fibre reinforced epoxy laminates. The thermographic, thermoelastic and second harmonic signals have been obtained and used to monitor the…
Thermoelastic Stress Analysis of modified Transverse Cut Tensile composite specimens under pure Mode II fatigue delamination
2018
The present work investigates the behaviour of a Transvers Crack Tensile (TCT) specimen undergoing fatigue loading, by means of a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) experimental setup. The TCT is a tensile composite specimen where a number of internal layers are cut through the beam width. The presence of such transverse notch favours the formation of interlaminar Mode II delaminations, starting from the notch tips and propagating between the cut and continuous plies. In this work, a modification is adopted to the classic TCT specimen, where insert films, mimicking artificial delaminations, are laid across the notch tips. This is done with the purpose to favour a pure Mode II and a symmetr…
Frictional effect in mode II delamination: Experimental test and numerical simulation
2013
Abstract The present paper proposes an experimental and a numerical analysis of the frictional effect on the mode II delamination. Frictional stresses between the crack edges can absorb and dissipate significant energy contributions in the delamination zones, especially under cyclic loading conditions. The experimental tests are performed for a set of unidirectional End-Notched Flexure (ENF) composite specimens, which are subjected to fatigue loading law with increasing mean value. The numerical analyses are performed considering a cohesive–frictional constitutive model, which is able to reproduce the transition of the interface behavior from the sound elastic condition to the fully cracked…
Mixed Mode Delamination Analysis by a Thermodynamically Consistent Cohesive Interface Model with Independent Mode I and Mode II Fracture Energies
2015
Abstract In the present paper a new thermodynamically consistent cohesive interface model is proposed; it based on a predefined Helmhotz free energy with a single scalar damage variable and produces two independent fracture energies, in pure mode I and pure mode II debonding conditions. The proposed model can also take in to account the frictional effects with a smooth transition of the mechanical behaviour, from the initial cohesive one of the sound material, to the frictional one of the fully debonded interface. The cohesive-frictional behaviour is based on the mesoscale geometric interpretation of the scalar damage variable, which distinguish sound and debonded fractions of a representat…
A methodology for the rapid characterization of Mode II delamination fatigue threshold in FRP composites
2019
Abstract A new methodology to measure the Mode II interlaminar fracture in fatigue for FRP composites is developed. The proposed methodology uses a Modified Transvers Crack Tensile (MTCT) specimen and is able to characterize the near threshold behavior in a robust, easier and significantly faster way than standard procedures. Analytical formulae, able to link the crack growth rate to the load or strain amplitudes, were found and verified, and their importance was explained, in particular, for what concerns the characterisation of the near threshold behavior. Experiments were performed both in load and strain control, while the delamination growth was monitored using different techniques inc…
The effect of the through-the-thickness compressive stress on mode II interlaminar fracture toughness
2017
The effect of through-the-thickness compressive stress on the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness is investigated experimentally and replicated numerically. The modified Transverse Crack Tensile specimen recently proposed by the authors is used, together with an experimental device designed to apply a constant transverse compressive stress on the surface of the specimen. Experiments are conducted using IM7/8552 specimens for different compressive stresses, ranging from 0 to 100 MPa, covering all the practical applications commonly encountered in the aeronautical industry (e.g., tightened filled holes or bolted joints). It is shown that the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness increas…
Experimental evaluation of through-the-thickness stress distribution in transverse crack tension test samples
2015
Transverse Crack Tension (TCT) samples represent an alternative to End Notched Flexure configurations for the characterization of pure mode II fracture toughness of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites. TCT is supposed to reproduce a pure Mode II failure mechanism while avoiding the frictional energy dissipation between the flanks of a starter crack. The TCT geometry is that of a unidirectional tensile sample where a number of embedded plies, centered on the middle plane, are cut in the transverse fibres direction. The tensile loading should then activate four symmetric fronts of mode II delamination from the transverse cut tips. The present work describes the implementation of two full fiel…