AN IMPROVED HYBRID COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS FRAMEWORK FOR COMPOSITE DAMAGE MODELING AND SIMULATION

In this study, an integrated modeling framework is proposed, combining continuum damage modeling (CDM), the extended finite element method (X-FEM), and the cohesive zone modeling (CZM) techniques, to model the progressive failure of fibre-reinforced composite laminates. This modeling framework has the capability to efficiently capture fibre failure, matrix cracking, and interlaminar delamination. The Schapery theory (to address polymer matrix viscoelastic behavior) is also incorporated to accurately simulate the pre-peak nonlinearity of the load-bearing response due to matrix microcracking. The proposed hybrid model is developed and implemented using Abaqus with user-defined subroutines. A multidirectional composite laminate with an open-hole notch configuration under tension (OHT) is examined as a case study. The simulation results are compared with the physical experiments in the open literature. The proposed framework represents a practical paradigm, which not only drastically reduces the pre-processing workload to build a physics-based high-fidelity damage model, but also largely decreases the computational cost.