Christian Heinrich¹, Anthony M. Waas²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.35, No.2, pp. 155-181, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.035.155

Abstract The smeared crack approach (SCA) is revisited to describe post-peak softening in laminated composite materials. First, predictions of the SCA are compared against linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) based predictions for the debonding of an adhesively bonded double cantilever beam. A sensitivity analysis is performed to establish the influence of element size and cohesive strength on the load-deflection response. The SCA is further validated by studying the in-plane fracture of a laminated composite in a single edge bend test configuration. In doing so, issues related to mesh size and their effects (or non-effects) are discussed and compared against other predictive… More >

K. C. Liu¹, S. M. Arnold²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.35, No.1, pp. 35-65, 2013, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2013.035.035

Abstract It is well known that failure of a material is a locally driven event. In the case of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), significant variations in the microstructure of the composite exist and their significance on both deformation and life response need to be assessed. Examples of these variations include changes in the fiber tow shape, tow shifting/nesting and voids within and between tows. In the present work, the influence of many of these scale specific architectural features of woven ceramic composite are examined stochastically at both the macroscale (woven repeating unit cell (RUC)) and structural scale (idealized using multiple RUCs).… More >