Effect of cooldown induced fiber/matrix interfacial Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • Copyright (2017) by DEStech Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Despite efforts to improve the overall quality of composite materials, the presence of fiber/matrix interfacial defects seems inevitable. In composites with high fiber volume fraction, the small inter-fiber spacing can lead to development of high tensile radial stress at the fiber/matrix interfaces on cooldown from a high cure temperature. This stress can cause failure from defects at the interfaces earlier before any mechanical loads are applied. In the present paper, we study further progression of cracking from a preexisting disbond (debonding crack) that has been formed by thermal cooldown on remotely applying transverse tension to the composite. In the finite element model, a local region of hexagonally packed fibers embedded in a homogenized composite is analyzed. The cooldown induced disbond is assumed to initiate at the location where tensile radial stress resulting from cooldown is the highest. Energy release rate of the debonding crack is calculated by the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT). Upon loading, it is found that the debonding crack tends to grow towards the symmetry plane normal to the loading direction. Furthermore, this crack is found not to kink out of the interface until it has fully propagated past the symmetry plane. As a result, further growth of the cooldown induced disbond as well as the potential kinking process are found to be the same as when the disbond initiates due to applied transverse tension.

published proceedings

  • 32nd Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites 2017

author list (cited authors)

  • Zhuang, L., Talreja, R., & Varna, J.

complete list of authors

  • Zhuang, L||Talreja, R||Varna, J

publication date

  • January 2017