Continuum Damage Mechanics Model for Damage assessment and Strength Prediction in Laminated Composite Structures

This paper examines the continuum damage model to predict the strength and size effects of polymer composites, deformation and failure response when subjected to complex states of stress. The prediction of size effects for a notched composite plate under uniaxial tension is carried out. This study aims to extend the proposed continuum damage model to evaluate ultimate strength and damage progression to predict the failure around stress concentration regions accurately. The finite element-based continuum damage mechanics model can be applied to the structures and components of arbitrary configurations where analytical solutions could not be developed. The present work also considers how the overall results of the exercise can be used in design applications for the prediction of ultimate strength and mechanical response of composite structures considering the continuum damage mechanics model as a design tool.