Elastic–plastic analysis of Asymmetric Double Cantilever Beam specimen

Abstract

The present paper studies theoretically non-linear fracture behavior of Asymmetric Double Cantilever Beam (ADCB) specimen made of unidirectional fiber reinforced polymer composite. The crack arms of ADCB have different heights. Loading configuration consists of two bending moments of the same senses and equal magnitudes applied to the crack arms. The composite material building the beam is assumed to obey stress–strain relation of an elastic-perfectly plastic material. Investigation is performed by means of path independent J-integral. Closed form analytical solutions of J-integral are obtained for every typical level of stresses and strains in the cracked as well as un-cracked beam portion. The influence of crack position on J-integral is also analyzed. A numerical example is presented to show the influence of material non-linearity on J-integral. It is found that the J-integral value increases when material non-linearity is taken into account. This is attributed to the strain energy dissipation due to plastic deformation of the beam.