Nonlinear finite element damage analysis of laminated shells by Carrera Unified Formulation

Abstract

The paper presents a comprehensive study on the nonlinear finite element analysis of laminated shells, employing the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF) in conjunction with a progressive damage model developed by Tita et al. (2008). This research focuses on accurately predicting the behavior of laminated composite structures under progressive damage. The model accounts for both polymer matrix and fiber failures, and the numerical implementation and simulations are performed using MATLAB. The study validates the proposed framework by comparing the numerical results with experimental data, demonstrating a good agreement and thus confirming the model’s capability to capture the nonlinear behavior of laminated shells during damage progression. The research also highlights the importance of the CUF in providing a versatile approach to finite element analysis, allowing for different families of elements and, thickness expansions and use of failure criteria that consider out of plane stresses, which can be particularly useful for a more detailed and physically consistent analysis of damage in composite materials.