A New Approach to Simulate Interface Damage in Brittle Matrix Composites

Abstract

Under mechanical loading, brittle matrix composites develop various damage processes which include cracking of matrix and fiber/matrix interface. Cohesive zone models (CZM) are widely used to model interfacial damage. The aim of this paper is to propose an alternative approach based on a damage model associated to a diffuse meshing method. In this study, the deflection of a matrix crack at the fiber/matrix interface in a single fiber composite is simulated using CZM and the results are compared with those obtained with the new approach. The simulation of a tensile test (in the fiber direction) on a brittle single fiber composite is performed by using the damage model and the result show a good agreement with the reference one obtained with CZM. On this basis, it is shown that the damage model is able to reproduce complex phenomenon as periodic matrix crack deflections at the fiber/matrix interface.