Multiscale simulation of debonding in fiber-reinforced composites by a combination of MsFEM and XFEM

Abstract

In this study, a novel multiscale computational method is developed to simulate the nonlinear debonding process in long Fiber Reinforced Composites (FRC). The extended finite element method (XFEM) combined with a cohesive zone model is used to avoid conformal meshing, the perfect fiber-to-matrix bonding is considered as a bi-material interface, and wherever debonding occured, a cohesive crack segment is introduced. Multiscale base functions are constructed numerically to effectively deliver the variables between macroscopic and microscopic. The debonding process in composites with randomly distributed fibers is then numerically investigated, and effective constitutive relation is evaluated on an RVE. The results obtained by the present method are compared with single-scale XFEM and analytical results. It is shown that, the proposed method provides a nonlinear response for the FRC at a considerably reduced computational cost.