Three-dimensional mechanical behavior of composite with fibre-matrix delamination through homogenization of micro-structure

Delamination is a crucial failure mode of fibre composites and layered materials in general. Delamination, or interfacial failure, leads to loss of stiffness and load-carrying capacity and, ultimately, to failure of the structure. Modeling fibre composites and delamination can be challenging due to the complex architecture of the material. One approach is through homogenization where the heterogeneous material is transformed into a homogeneous one with equivalent mechanical behavior. In this work, a three-dimensional homogenization of a fibre composite is developed. The fibre and matrix materials are allowed to have nonlinear constitutive relations. A traction-separation law is implemented between the fibre and the matrix promoting separation between them on a micro-level. This permits the homogenization to include delamination in its structural response. The new model is compared with existing models from the literature and a finite element model. A satisfying agreement is reported.

Automated summary

Delamination is a crucial failure mode in fibre composites, leading to loss of stiffness and ultimately structure failure. Modelling delamination is challenging due to material complexity. A new three-dimensional homogenization approach successfully incorporates delamination into the structural response.