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A micro-to-meso sublaminate model for the viscoelastic analysis of thick-section multi-layered FRP composite structures

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Abstract

Classical ply-by-ply analysis of multi-layered thick-section composite structures with tens of layers through the cross-section is often impractical, especially when material nonlinearity and time-dependent effects are included. This study introduces an integrated micromechanical-sublaminate modeling approach for the nonlinear viscoelastic analysis of thick-section and multi-layered composite structures. The sublaminate model is used to generate three-dimensional (3D) effective nonlinear responses at through-thickness material integration points with given spatial variations of strains determined from the trial strain increments of the standard displacement-based finite-element (FE). The number of material integration points is determined by the resolution of the FE discretization of the composite structure. The sublaminate model at a selected material point represents the effective nonlinear continuum behavior in its neighborhood using the 3D lamination theory with uniform in-plane strain and out-of-plane stress patterns through the representative layers. Therefore, the sublaminate has first-order stress and strain paths and cannot recognize the local sequence of the layers. While this approach is very effective approximation especially in the case of a very large number of repeating layers using relatively few elements (integration points) through the thickness, it cannot be used to represent the interlaminar stresses or bending/extension/twisting coupling effects within a sublaminate. A previously developed micromechanical model by the authors for a nonlinear viscoelastic unidirectional lamina is used for each layer in the sublaminate. The proposed modeling approach is first calibrated and verified against creep tests on off-axis glass/epoxy performed by Lou and Schapery (J. Compos. Mater. 5:208–271, 1971). Analyses for different thick-section laminated structures are presented using the integrated sublaminate with both shell and 3D continuum elements. The proposed 3D nonlinear time-dependent sublaminate model is computationally efficient and robust in analyzing multi-layered composite structures having large number of plies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0355, USA

    Rami Haj-Ali

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3123, USA

    Anastasia Muliana

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  1. Rami Haj-Ali
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  2. Anastasia Muliana
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Correspondence to Anastasia Muliana.

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Haj-Ali, R., Muliana, A. A micro-to-meso sublaminate model for the viscoelastic analysis of thick-section multi-layered FRP composite structures. Mech Time-Depend Mater 12, 69–93 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11043-007-9041-6

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