Multiscale analysis of interlaminar stresses near a free-edge in a [±45/0/90]s laminate

Abstract

A multiscale model for a [±45/0/90]s tape laminate under uniaxial extension was used to investigate the effect of modeling the heterogeneous microstructure near a free-edge. A random fiber arrangement was used for the 0° and 90° plies and homogenized properties for the 45° and −45° plies. The predicted interlaminar normal stress was compared to the prediction using a classical homogeneous model. When fibers and matrix were modeled discretely, the local stress state was shown to be sensitive to the proximity of fibers, which caused a complex stress distribution along the 0–90 ply interface. Next, the effect of reducing the size of region modeled at the microscale was investigated, since this would significantly reduce the computational effort. Reducing the region modeled at the microscale in the direction normal to the 0–90 ply interface to a size that was 25% and 10% of the ply thickness only changed the peak stresses by 3% and 8%, respectively. Reducing the microscale region in the direction normal to the free-edge to be one and two ply thicknesses in size did not have a significant effect on the predicted interlaminar normal stress at points within 75% of a ply thickness of the free-edge.