A meso/micro-mechanical model for damage progression in glass-fiber/epoxy cross-ply laminates by finite-element analysis

A three-dimensional multi-cell meso/micro-mechanical finite-element model has been developed for the prediction of the overall mechanical behavior of a [0.90(3),O](T) glass-fiber/epoxy laminate, and for the study of damage mechanisms in fiber-reinforced polymer laminates. The epoxy matrix is represented by a non-linear viscoelastic constitutive model, which was incorporated into the finite-element analysis code, ADINA, through the user-defined subroutine. In addition, a damage criterion for the epoxy matrix is introduced into the finite-element model. Numerical results from the finite-element analysis are compared with experimental data, and it is found that both the predicted overall stress/strain response and the prediction of the initiation and propagation of the damage are in good agreement with the experimental results. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.