Nonlinear Analysis of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Laminates Subjected to Uniaxial Tensile Load

Abstract

A nonlinear constitutive model together with a mixed failure criterion for a single lamina is developed to simulate the behavior of composite laminates under uniaxial tension. In the model, fiber and matrix are assumed to behave elastic–plastic and the in-plane shear to behave nonlinear with a variable shear parameter. The damage onset for individual lamina is detected bya mixed failure criterion, which is composed of Tsai–Wu criterion and maximum stress criterion. After damage is taken place within the lamina, fiber and in-plane shear are assumed to exhibit brittle behavior and matrix to exhibit degrading behavior. This material model has been tested against experimental data and good agreement has been obtained.