Prediction of progressive damage in composite laminates

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the progressive damage prediction of a woven roving E-glass/vinyl ester laminated beam subjected to transverse shear. The laminated beam has been manufactured using the Seeman Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP). The damage modeling has been performed using a finite element model capable of predicting the progression of damage and the residual capacity. A user subroutine has been written for this purpose and has been incorporated into an existing finite element package. Various failure criteria and modeling techniques using layerwise shell elements have been investigated. Experimental results are used for the validation of the proposed model. Copyright © 2004 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.