Proposition of a framework for the development of a cohesive zone model adapted to Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic laminated composites

A new framework is proposed for the development, in an implicit finite element code, of cohesive zone models adapted to the description of the mixed-mode delamination in Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) laminated composites. The main advantage of this new framework is to take into account both the interlaminar strength and the fracture toughness of the interface which are experimentally identified. Moreover, this model also takes into consideration the influence on the interfacial properties of the possible out-of-plane compression at the crack tip and of the damage in the plies adjacent to the interface. Using this new framework, a tri-linear cohesive zone model is proposed. The advantages of the tri-linear model compared to the bilinear one are emphasized by comparing the results obtained from the numerical simulations of some fracture tests, using these two models. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.