Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism

Accurate determination of mode III interlaminar fracture toughness is paramount in composite materials due to its critical role in edge delamination, which nonetheless remains a significant challenge encountered. As such, this study focused on the investigation of mode II and III interlaminar fractu...

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Main Authors: Syed Abdullah, S.I.B., Bokti, S.K., Wong, K.J., Johar, M., Chong, W.W.F., Dong, Roger
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier BV 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93890
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author Syed Abdullah, S.I.B.
Bokti, S.K.
Wong, K.J.
Johar, M.
Chong, W.W.F.
Dong, Roger
author_facet Syed Abdullah, S.I.B.
Bokti, S.K.
Wong, K.J.
Johar, M.
Chong, W.W.F.
Dong, Roger
author_sort Syed Abdullah, S.I.B.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Accurate determination of mode III interlaminar fracture toughness is paramount in composite materials due to its critical role in edge delamination, which nonetheless remains a significant challenge encountered. As such, this study focused on the investigation of mode II and III interlaminar fracture behavior of carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy composite laminates using four-end notched flexure (4ENF) tests and four-point bending plate (4PBP) tests, respectively. In particular, a cohesive zone model was employed for the simulation of the delamination process via finite element analysis (FEA). The mode II fracture toughness of CF/epoxy composites was determined to be 1.41 N/mm in experimental work. Additionally, experimental data in relation to force-displacement curves were in good agreement with numerical simulation results, which validated this simulation approach to successfully capture the mechanical response of composite laminates. In a similar manner, mode III delamination fracture toughness for CF/epoxy composites was numerically estimated to be 2.1 N/mm. Microscopic analysis indicated shear cusps were observed in both mode II and III specimens, as opposed to existing flakes discovered in mode III specimens only. Overall, this research enlightens a simple and effective way to estimate pure mode III fracture toughness and corresponding delamination behavior with respect to crack initiation and propagation.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-938902025-02-19T05:46:21Z Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism Syed Abdullah, S.I.B. Bokti, S.K. Wong, K.J. Johar, M. Chong, W.W.F. Dong, Roger Delamination Finite element analysis (FEA) Fracture toughness Laminate structures Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) Accurate determination of mode III interlaminar fracture toughness is paramount in composite materials due to its critical role in edge delamination, which nonetheless remains a significant challenge encountered. As such, this study focused on the investigation of mode II and III interlaminar fracture behavior of carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy composite laminates using four-end notched flexure (4ENF) tests and four-point bending plate (4PBP) tests, respectively. In particular, a cohesive zone model was employed for the simulation of the delamination process via finite element analysis (FEA). The mode II fracture toughness of CF/epoxy composites was determined to be 1.41 N/mm in experimental work. Additionally, experimental data in relation to force-displacement curves were in good agreement with numerical simulation results, which validated this simulation approach to successfully capture the mechanical response of composite laminates. In a similar manner, mode III delamination fracture toughness for CF/epoxy composites was numerically estimated to be 2.1 N/mm. Microscopic analysis indicated shear cusps were observed in both mode II and III specimens, as opposed to existing flakes discovered in mode III specimens only. Overall, this research enlightens a simple and effective way to estimate pure mode III fracture toughness and corresponding delamination behavior with respect to crack initiation and propagation. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93890 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Elsevier BV fulltext
spellingShingle Delamination
Finite element analysis (FEA)
Fracture toughness
Laminate structures
Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
Syed Abdullah, S.I.B.
Bokti, S.K.
Wong, K.J.
Johar, M.
Chong, W.W.F.
Dong, Roger
Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title_full Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title_fullStr Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title_full_unstemmed Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title_short Mode II and Mode III Delamination of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to a Four-Point Bending Mechanism
title_sort mode ii and mode iii delamination of carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates subjected to a four-point bending mechanism
topic Delamination
Finite element analysis (FEA)
Fracture toughness
Laminate structures
Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/93890