Parametric failure manifolds for laminated composites

Abstract

The failure modes of laminated composites are complex and varied, being strongly dependant on layup and loading conditions. In this paper, a novel representation of damage initiation in laminated composites on the structural scale is presented. The proposed approach combines the knowledge of the composite design space with detailed meso-scale models to generate a complete representation of damage initiation under all possible combinations of bi-axial loading and for any layup in the composite design space. The 2D bi-axial failure envelopes are then combined with the knowledge of the composite’s physical behaviour and the surface compatibility conditions to generate 3D failure manifolds using Gauss surface equations. The resulting system is a complete parametric description of damage initiation in laminated composite for any layup under general loading conditions. The proposed manifolds are accurate and computationally efficient tools for structural (macro) scale analyses, design and optimisation.