Numerical simulation of cracking process of polymer composites on example of SENB sample
Dariusz Kwiatkowski, Hubert Dębski
Quarterly No. 4, 2011 pages 299-303
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abstract The numerical calculations made in the work included the analysis of stress distribution near the rift top and determination of the stress intensity coefficient (WIN) as well as the J integral during three-point bending of SENB samples made from composites with a matrix of two well-known thermoplastics: PP and PA6 with a 25% content of glass fibre. Analysis of the composites crack development and propagation was also done performed. The numerical tool used for FEM calculations is the ABAQUS/Standard computer program that has modern calculation procedures in this field. The numerical calculations were made taking into consideration the experimental data determining the conditions of cracking process initiation of the composite material. The results of the numerical calculations were verified by the results of the experiments. The numerical calculations that were made concerned a geometrically non-linear problem. They were conducted with use of the incremental-iterative Newton-Raphson method. The numerical analysis was performed in two steps. The first step was a preliminary analysis that allowed estimation of the stress level in the composites near the rift top that initiated the cracking process, as well as forecasting the possibility of further propagation occurrence (or exclusion of this phenomenon) in the material region. In the second step of calculations corresponding to the critical value of deflection, numerical calculations taking into account the development and propagation of the crack were made using a more advanced technique for modeling cracking - the Cohesive Zone Method (CZM).