Micromechanical study of multiple transverse cracking in cross-ply fiber-reinforced composite laminates

This paper integrates an efficient numerical framework with robust and accurate constitutive equations to study transverse behavior and multiple cracking of cross-ply fiber-reinforced composite laminates. A nonlinear cohesive interface-enriched generalized finite element method is used to simulate the realistic microstructural representation of the laminate. The considered constitutive equations include elastic, elasto-plastic damage model, and cohesive zone model to simulate fibers, matrix, and fiber/matrix interfaces, respectively. The 0° plies are modeled as a transversely isotropic elastic material. The 90° ply's microstructural representation is generated based on an optical microscope image, containing more than five thousand fibers. The developed framework is validated versus the experimental results of several single-90° ply specimens. Then, the effects of fiber/matrix cohesive interface properties, matrix stiffness, and bounding plies stiffness on the transverse crack density, delamination, and intra-ply stress redistribution are investigated. The correlation between different stages of failure and the studied parameters are also presented and discussed.