Experimental and numerical investigation of Mode II fracture in fibrous reinforced composites

A straightforward procedure is described for utilizing experimentally evaluated bridging laws that characterize Mode II fracture growth of composite materials into numerical simulations. Unidirectional glass/epoxy end notch flexure (ENF) coupons have been fabricated and tested. Three data reduction schemes available in the literature were used for the construction of the R-curves together with the J-integral approach for the derivation of the bridging laws. Two traction-separation models have been utilized for the characterization of the fracture process zone (FPZ) developing during the delamination propagation process. The first model considers only the existence of a bridging zone behind the physical crack tip, whereas the proposed model considers both the existence of a bridging zone and of a cohesive zone in front of the physical crack tip. The traction-separation models were implemented into interface elements for the simulation of the ENF tests. Numerical results have shown that the proposed procedure together with the proposed traction-separation model is quite promising for simulations that involve Mode II fracture growth.