Finite Element Simulation of Fiber Reinforced Composites Under Bi-Axial Loading

Abstract

Advances in testing of composite materials in recent years have mostly resulted in the ability to actively characterize the uniaxial response of composites while investigations of multiaxial load cases are rare due to various challenges. One of these challenges is the lack of a suitable specimen geometry for multiaxial testing without unwanted failure modes. Ideally, such geometry should be developed and assessed virtually by means of simulation before costly and time-consuming manufacturing and testing. Therefore, reliable, and efficient simulation methods are required that incorporate the evolution of damage in FRP composites. This study investigates various geometric features virtually of cruciform specimens to test fiber-reinforced composites subjected to in-plane biaxial tensile loadings. The goal is to achieve uniform failure in the gauge region of the specimen due to biaxial stress states and to reduce any premature failure outside the gauge region. Efficient finite element simulation in the commercial software LS-DYNA is used to identify the optimal geometric features.