Study on the Analysis of Failure Mechanism and Strength Prediction ofComposite Laminates with a Central Hole

Abstract

The open holes of the composite structure will lead to a significant decrease in the structural strength. It takes the composite laminates with a central hole as the research object. Tensile tests are conduct on specimens with three different ply ratio according to ASTM D 5766 standard to study the influence of ply ratio on the tensile properties and failure modes on composite laminates. Based on continuum damage mechanics, the maximum strain criterion and non-linear Puck criterion which is physical-based are employed to predict the initiation of fiber and matrix damage respectively. The evolution of damage is based on strain on the fracture plane. Three dimensional finite element model of composite laminates with a central hole is built. The results of FEA model proved that the model can efficiently predict the tensile strength and damage evolution of composite laminates with a central hole.

Keywords

• composite laminates
• central hole
• continuum damage mechanics
• failure analysis
• finite element method