Development of two intrinsic cohesive zone models for progressive interfacial cracking of laminated composites with matching and non-matching cohesive elements

In recent decades, intrinsic cohesive zone models (CZMs) have proved to be an effective approach to modeling progressive interfacial cracking of laminated composite structures. However, matching cohesive interface elements are usually required, which imposes constraints on finite element mesh discretization and reduces computational efficiency for interfacial cracking analysis in bi-material structures with a large modulus mismatch. To address this issue, we develop two intrinsic CZMs, i.e. node- and facet-based models, allowing interfacial cracking modeling with both matching and non-matching cohesive elements in a unified way. Prior to cracking simulations, node and facet cohesive pairs can be easily constructed by recourse to contact detection algorithms. During cracking, cohesive forces of such two models are evaluated in pointwise and integral ways, respectively. The developed models are then respectively coupled with tributary node-to-segment and mortar algorithms to account for a smooth transition from cohesive failure to unilateral contact. Several representative numerical examples are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed models, where the numerical performance is also compared and discussed.