Micro-macro crack interaction in composites

✍ Scribed by Vinay Dayal; Ilyas Mohammed

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 813 KB
• Volume: 49
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-7944
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-7944(94)90029-9

✦ Synopsis

The interaction of a macro-crack and a micro-crack is the subject of this study. The cracks considered are: matrix micro-crack (straight and kinked at 45.) interacting with matrix macro-cracks of different lengths, and a matrix micro-crack (straight and kinked at 45") interacting with delamination macro-cracks of different lengths. A two-dimensional (2D) stress and crack analysis is carried out, using finite element method. Twenty-noded quarter-point solid elements are used as singular elements at the crack front to accurately determine the stress distribution.

The J-integral is used as the crack characterization parameter. Results show that the presence of the micro-crack reduces the available energy for the propagation of the macro-crack.