FRACTURE AND FATIGUE ANALYSIS ON

DELAMINATION OF COMPOSITE
STRUCTURES UNDER MODE-II LOADING
A project review-1 report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

Masters of Technology in CAD/CAM

by

N A G KIRAN PABOLU
13MCD0013

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL AND BUILDING SCIENCES

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project review report entitled Fracture and Fatigue Analysis
on delamination of Composite Structures under Mode-II loading submitted by
N A G KIRAN PABOLU, for the award of the degree of Masters of Technology is a
record of bonafide work carried out by him under my supervision, as per the VIT code of
academic and research ethics. The contents of this report have not been submitted and
will not be submitted either in part or in full, for the award of any other degree or
diploma in this institute or any other institute or university. The report fulfils the
requirements and regulations of the University and in my opinion meets the necessary
standards for submission.

Place: Vellore
Date:
Signature of the internal Guide
Prof. Akash Mohanty
Asst. Prof. (S.G)
SMBS, VIT University,
Vellore.

Signature of the external Guide

Mr N. Nagarajappa
Principal Scientist,
STTD,
NAL, Bangalore.

Contents

S. No.

Topic Name

Page No.

01

Abstract

01

02

Introduction

02

03

Literature Survey

03

04

Motivation / need of the present research work

10

05

Method of Approach

11

06

Expected outcome of the project

12

References

1. Abstract:
With the increasing use of composite materials in engineering fields, the problem of
delamination damage becomes of great concern. In order to fully understand the damage
failure process and the corresponding mechanism of the damaged composite structures,
so as to improve the safety and durability of composite structures, theoretical and
experimental studies should be carried out. Among various kinds of damages occurred in
manufacturing and as a result of impacts of foreign objects, the delamination is a
commonly observed damage mode in composite laminates. Many extended numerical
and experimental investigations on the composite laminates with through-the-width
delaminations and embedded circular/elliptical delaminations were carried out. The
delamination growth process relates to the boundary condition closely. When the change
of the boundary condition leads to a change of buckling modes, the boundary condition
will affect the delamination growth behaviour of the stiffened composite laminates plates
dramatically.

2. Introduction:
Composites are generally used because they have desirable properties such as high
strength per mass ratio, which could not be achieved by either of the constituent materials
acting alone. They have unique advantages over monolithic materials, such as high
strength, high stiffness, long fatigue life, low density, and adaptability to the intended
function of the structure. Additional advantages include corrosion resistance, wear
resistance, appearance, temperature-dependent behavior, thermal stability, thermal
insulation, thermal conductivity, and acoustic insulation. Despite their importance,
fracture mechanics studies and experimental data for understanding the mode of failure
and energy absorption mechanism of laminated composite plates are very important.
Interlaminar cracking, i.e., cracking in the interfacial plane between two adjoining plies
in a laminate, causes separation of the plies (laminae) and is referred to as delamination.
In composite laminates, delamination can occur at cut (free) edges, such as at holes, or at
an exposed surface through the thickness. When loaded in the plane, the laminate
develops through-thickness normal and shear stresses at the traction-free surface
extending a short distance into the laminate plane. These stresses can result in local
cracking in the interlaminar planes. Delaminations can also form as a result of lowvelocity impact. In contrast to metals, in polymer composite laminates delamination can
occur below the surface of a structure under a relatively light impact, such as that from a
dropped tool, while the surface appears undamaged to visual inspection. The growth of
delamination cracks under the subsequent application of external loads leads to a rapid
deterioration of the mechanical properties and may cause catastrophic failure of the
composite structure. Another source of delamination is the local interlaminar cracking
induced by ply cracks. This delamination can grow and separate the region between two
adjacent ply matrix cracks. Delamination can diminish the role of strong fibers and make
the weaker matrix properties govern the structural strength. In initiating delamination the
critical material property is the interlaminar strength, which is determined by the matrix.
Once the interlaminar cracks are formed, their growth is determined by the interlaminar
fracture toughness, which is also governed by the matrix.

3. Literature Survey:
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A.B. Pereira, A.B. de Morais, A.T. Marques, P.T. de Castro studied on experimental
study on the mode-II inter-laminar fracture of carbon/epoxy multidirectional laminates. A
3D finite element analysis was first performed to define appropriate stacking sequences
for end-notched flexure (ENF) specimens with starter delaminations on /- and 00/
interfaces. The experimental GIIc values increased with the ply angle for both / - and
00/ specimens which were found to be in agreement with an average inter-laminar stress
fracture criterion, dependent on a characteristic length which assumes fracture occurs
when the average inter-laminar shear stress over some characteristic length l c reaches an
interface independent critical value. Therefore, it is essential to obtain experimental G IIc
values for the application of fracture mechanics based design criteria.
Y. B. Shi, D. Hull and J. N. Price studied on centre-notched laminate beam method to
investigate the Mode-II delamination fracture of angled laminate interfaces. A beam
solution for the strain energy release rate associated with delamination propagation was
adopted to derive the delamination initiation energy. Two standard composite systems,
T300/914C carbon/epoxy and E/913G glass/epoxy, were used in two series of tests,
respectively. The ply orientation angle, of the lamina bounding the delamination at the
beam mid-plane was varied in increments of 7.5 0 from 00 to 450 in the carbon/epoxy case,
and from 00 to 300 in the glass/epoxy case. The initial delamination was introduced by
embedding a single layer 5 m thick PTFE film during the hand lay-up process. For both
materials delamination fracture was observed in specimens with up to 7.50. In
specimens with between 7.50 and 300, single delamination initiation was followed by
intra-ply cracking and delamination deviation. In the carbon-epoxy case, intra-ply
cracking and multiple delaminations occurred at the initiation of fracture with between
300 and 450. The mode II delamination initiation energy corresponding to single
delamination did not show significant dependence on the relative interface angle for both
systems, whereas that associated with multiple delamination mechanism increased with
the angle. Overall, however, the variation of GIIc with inter-ply angle is small compared
with changes due to matrix material.
Jacques Renard & Florence Roudolff studied on delamination of an infinite laminate
subjected to a Mode-II loading. The stress state is studied by a numerical finite element
6

analysis and by an analytical model based on the Love-Kirchhoff plate theory. The strain
energy release rate and its mode I, II and III components are calculated during
delamination extension. The stacking sequences studied here is [+35/-35/0/90] along with
different stacking sequences and found this kind of stacking sequence is very susceptible
to delamination. A delamination of constant depth along the length of the specimen is
introduced on the (0/90) interface (as shown in fig.1) which is the most readily
delaminated, as the stress is singular and positive at the intersection of this interface with
the free edge. The analytical model has the advantage of permitting the analysis of
different stacking sequences composed of a large number of plies and determination of
their capacity for delamination.

The analytical method has been tried for various stacking sequences and compared with
the numerical method. One of these sequences is [+ 35/-35/0/90] in which we only
introduce one delamination at an interface (0/90). Good agreement is found, except for
small delamination sizes, where the analytical computation diverges from the numerical
solution, as we are in the boundary layer region, which is not taken into account by a
plate analysis.
Z. Petrossian and Michael R. Wisnom studied and derived an analytical solution for
calculating the strain energy release rate, G and the effect of thickness and position of the
discontinuous plies within the laminate has on the value of G concerning delamination
along the interfaces of continuous and discontinuous (or dropped) plies in composite
laminates under a combination of out-of-plane bending and axial loading. A closed form
solution based on linear-elastic fracture mechanics was derived for calculating the strain
7

energy release rate of delaminations propagating along the interfaces of continuous and
discontinuous plies in a composite laminate. A parametric study using the analytical
solution led to several main observations. Firstly, the strain energy release rate, G, for
delaminations above and below a discontinuous, or dropped, block of plies is strongly
related to the axial stiffness and strain of the discontinuous block. The position of the
discontinuous block through the thickness has a smaller effect on G when the strain at the
mid-thickness of the discontinuous block is held constant. Using the analytical solution,
failure envelopes for delamination were plotted for various types of laminates based on
the strain at the discontinuous block, rather than the applied moment or axial load. The
failure envelopes clearly show that the allowable strain at the discontinuous block
reduces substantially when the thickness and stiffness of the block increases. The
allowable strain is also lower when the discontinuous block is situated closer to the
surface. This approach can be used to construct delamination failure envelopes for any
material or lay-up.
A.B. de Morais performed a numerical study on mode II inter-laminar critical strain
energy release rate GIIc of multidirectional laminates. The objectives were to define
appropriate specimen stacking sequences and to predict variations of GIIc with the
delaminating interface. An inter-laminar stress based criterion was used to predict the
influence of the delaminating interface on the mode II inter-laminar critical strain energy
release rate GIIc The criterion assumes fracture occurs when the average inter-laminar
shear stress over some characteristic length lc reaches an interface independent critical
value. The fracture criterion does express an existing relation between G IIc and the level
of inter-laminar shear stresses behind the crack tip, which suggests that G IIc of
multidirectional specimens could be substantially higher than G IIc of [00]n uni-directional,
in which various experimental studies confirm these predictions.
O. Al-Khudairi, H. Hadavinia, A. Waggott, E. Lewis, C. Little J.F.M. analyzed fatigue
life estimation for delamination growth of laminated fiber reinforced polymer (FRP)
composite structures in mode I and mode II based on fracture mechanics. The double
cantilever beam (DCB) specimen for mode I and 3 points End-Notched Flexure (3ENF)
specimen for mode II were used for monotonic fracture tests and the resistance G IR and
8

GIIR as a function of delamination length were determined. For DCB tests, the fatigue
onset life test was conducted and the threshold energy release rate, GIth, was found for the
subcritical region. Constant amplitude, displacement controlled cyclic fatigue test for
both modes was conducted and the delamination crack growth rate (da/dN) as a function
of maximum cyclic energy release rate G Imax and GIImax for DCB and 3ENF specimens
were determined from Paris Law as fiber/matrix interface decohesion and formation of
shear cusp and pull off of shear cusps during the fatigue test play major role on
delamination growth mechanism in mode II.
Sylvanus N. Nwosu, David Hui, Piyush K. Dutta studied on Dynamic fracture and
delamination of unidirectional graphite/epoxy composites on end notched flexure (ENF)
and center-notched flexure (CNF) pure mode II loading configurations using a modified
split Hopkinson pressure bar. A power law empirical model reasonably described the
variation of the energy release rate with delamination, energy absorbed, and impact
energy. Delamination increases with impact energy up to a certain maximum depending
on mode of fracture, with CNF >ENF. Dynamic fracture produces fragmentation that
depends on the strain rate and energy. CNF pure mode II failure mode at symmetric
loading (D=0) causes more fragmentation than ENF. Delamination and energy absorbed
in fracture increases with impact energy. Hackle density in mode II fracture surfaces
decrease as the delamination length approaches the span of the specimen or as the energy
approaches the critical energy for unstable delamination. A crack embedded deeper in a
specimen (as in CNF pure mode II) contributes more to mode II fracture than cracks at
the surface or near the edge as in ENF. The CNF specimens exhibit a higher compressive
strength and sustain higher energy absorption than the ENF. This implies that a crack near
the surface or edge of a structure will have a greater tendency to reduce the strength of
the materials to failure than when embedded deeper in the structu
Z. Zou, S.R. Reid, S. Li, P.D. Soden presented a model for progressive interlaminar
delamination for laminated composite structures. Computationally efficient 2D technique
is adopted which models the laminated structure as an assembly of sub laminates
connected through their interfaces and constraints between sub laminates are removed to
represent the presence of delaminations. A stress-based failure criterion is used to predict
delamination initiation, intralaminar damage mode, and matrix cracking and propagation
9

is analyzed by fracture mechanics approach. Finite element analysis has been carried out
to assess the deformation and the delamination development in a range of typical
structures: a double cantilever beam, a cross-ply laminate. Good agreement has been
achieved between the predictions and available experimental data. A study of the effect of
mesh size shows that a relatively coarse mesh gives sufficiently accurate results. This
gives a useful indication of the versatility and feasibility of the present approach for real
structural applications.
J. Wang & B. L. Karihaloo studied on Fibre-reinforced multidirectional composite

laminates are observed in experiments under transverse static or low-velocity impact

loading to suffer considerable delamination damage. The intensity of this damage
depends on the difference in the ply angles above and below the interface and fracture
mechanics model is presented for investigating the role of matrix cracks in triggering
delaminations and the influence of ply angles in adjacent plies on delamination cracking
as, When the transverse crack is wholly within the inner layer (intraply transverse crack),
the crack-induced inter-facial principal tensile stress is influenced by the difference
between the ply angles in the inner and outer layers. When the difference between the ply
angles is 400, the stress reaches its minimum for the graphite/epoxy composite material
considered. For an interply transverse crack where the crack has run through the
thickness of the inner layer, the mode II stress singularity reaches its minimum for the
three graphite/ epoxy composites and one glass/epoxy composite when the difference
between the ply angles is about 450.
These results are in agreement with the experimental observation that the largest
delaminations appear at the interface across which the difference between the ply angles
is the largest, i.e. 900.
Shaw ming lee studied the failure process of mode II delamination fracture on the basis
of the microscopic matrix failure modes (micro cracks and hackles) as well as fracture
mechanics principles. The crack tip matrix stresses leading to delamination is analysed by
examining an adhesive bond with a crack analogous to a delamination crack in the resin
layer of a composite. Such crack tip stresses induce matrix micro cracks involving two
major events: (a) single micro crack initiation and (b) development of multiple micro
10

cracks with regular spacing. The micro crack initiation shear stress is found by the use of
fracture mechanics to be related to certain resin properties (shear modulus G and mode I
fracture toughness GIC) and micro crack length of the order of the resin layer thickness t
(related to resin content). The more or less regular micro crack spacing S deduced from
shear lag considerations can be related to resin properties GIC, G, Sy (resin yield strength)
and t. The multiple micro cracks reduce the effective resin modulus and strongly affect
the subsequent micro crack coalescence process. As a result of the detailed analysis of the
failure process, mode II laminate fracture toughness GIIC can be quantitatively expressed
as a function of resin GIC and (S2y /G). The failure process modelled is used to interpret
the mode II delamination behaviour of several carbon/epoxy systems studied here and
that reported in the literature. This study reveals the critical importance of resin fracture
(GIC related) and deformation (yielding) mechanisms in controlling mode II delamination
resistance of laminated composites.
Chengye Fan, Y. Ben Jar, J-J Roger Cheng presents an approach that captures the
effect of frictional force in beam-type specimens that are used for delamination tests in
shear mode (mode II), including end-notched flexure (ENF), end-loaded-split (ELS), 4
Point bend ENF (4ENF) and over-notched flexure (ONF) tests. The approach is based on
crack tip element analysis, and produces a single parameter that quantifies the role of the
frictional force on the energy release rate for delamination. Accuracy of the parameter for
quantifying the frictional force effect is evaluated by comparing the prediction with that
based on finite element modelling. The comparison shows excellent agreement, that the
parameter provides an accurate measure of the frictional force effect on the energy
release rate for delamination in the beam-type specimens. Using the CTE analysis, a
governing parameter f is derived to quantify the frictional force effect on the measured
GC value for mode II delamination. The parameter is a function of the test setup
configurations and the specimen dimensions. Numerical verification of the validity of f
was conducted using the EDT method. The ENF test was chosen as an example to show
that the parameter f can accurately quantify the frictional force effect on the measured G C
value. This conclusion is supported by comparison with numerical results in which
VCCT, was used to quantify the frictional force effect. Based on results for the frictional
11

force effect, the study concludes that the frictional force between the contact surfaces
cannot be fully responsible for the inconsistency of the delamination resistance
determined using ENF and 4ENF tests. Other factors, such as fibre bridging, may also
play a significant role in the inconsistency.
Jiang Zhou & Tianbai He This paper deals with the mode-II strain energy release rate,
GII of composite laminates measured with the end-notched flexure (ENF) specimen. A
derivation is given of the expressions for compliance and strain energy release rate, in
which the asymmetric flexure of the specimen and the shear deformations are considered.
The results are compared with finite element results. It is shown that the expression for
compliance based on the shear deformation beam theory may result in some errors when
it is used to calculate GII even though it gives an accurate prediction of compliance. By
considering the deformation at the crack root, an improved expression for strain energy
release rate is obtained. The values of GII obtained from the improved expression are
almost the same as those obtained from the finite element method. A test procedure for
determining G, by using the ENF specimen is suggested. The expressions for the ENF
compliance and strain energy release rate, considering the asymmetric flexure of
specimen and shear deformation, are slightly different from those obtained under the
assumption of symmetric flexure. The agreement between the results of compliance
expression and the finite element results is good, but the values from the expression for
G, are seen to agree poorly with those from the finite element method. This is because
ENF compliance is not sufficiently sensitive to the delamination growth process.

4. Motivation of the present research work:

The critical damage for carbon fibre structures, which are increasingly being employed in
primary aircraft structures, is delamination.
This project work deals with the stiffened composite plate with finite dimensions
undergoing deformation at the delaminated area, under out-of-plane (Mode-II) loading.
Under this type of loading the delaminated layer buckles, causing intense stresses at
12

boundary. This can leads to global structural failure at loads well below the design level.
A particular failure of this class originally motivated this work.

5. Method of Approach:
Study on Delamination of
Composites Structures

13

Modeling of Composite Structure

Using Hyper-mesh

Meshing, Applying Load and Boundary Conditions

to the Composite Structure using Hyper-mesh

Post-processing of Composite Structure

in Nastran/Abacus

Numerical Solution of Composite Structure

using Energy Methods

Validation of Analytical and Numerical

Results with Experimental Results

6. Expected Outcome of the Project:

This project work deals with the stiffened composite plate with finite dimensions
undergoing deformation at the delaminated area, under out-of-plane (Mode-II) load.
Under this type of loading the delaminated layer buckles, causing intense stresses at
boundary.
14

 To find the energy release rate components (G) at the delamination front.
To find the total potential energy of stiffened composite plate including strain
energy & potential energy due to applied load.
To study skin delamination of stiffened orthotropic composite plate.
To analyse buckling strength behaviour of stiffened composite plate under out-ofplane (Mode-II) load.

References:
1. A.B. Pereira, A.B. de Morais, A.T. Marques, P.T. de Castro, Mode II interlaminar
fracture of carbon/epoxy multidirectional laminates, Composites Science and Technology
64, pp.16531659, 2004.
2. Y. B. Shi, D. Hull and J. N. Price, MODE II FRACTURE OF +/- ANGLED
LAMINATE INTERFACES, Composites Science and Technology 47, pp.173-184, 1993.

15

3. Jacques Renard & Florence Roudolff , Analytical and Numerical Calculation of Strain
Energy Release Rate during Delamination Growth in a Carbon Epoxy Laminate,
Composites Science and Technology 42, pp. 305-316, 1991.
4. Z. Petrossian and Michael R. Wisnom, Parametric study of delamination in composites
with discontinuous plies using an analytical solution based on fracture mechanics,
Composites Part A 29A, pp. 403-414, 1998, PII: S1359-835X(97)00102-4.
5. A.B. de Morais, Analysis of mode II interlaminar fracture of multidirectional
laminates, Composites: Part A 35, pp. 5157, 2004.
6. O. Al-Khudairi , H. Hadavinia , A. Waggott , E. Lewis, C. Little, Characterizing mode
I/mode II fatigue delamination growth in unidirectional fiber reinforced polymer
laminates, Materials and Design 66, pp. 93102, 2015.
7. Sylvanus N. Nwosu, David Hui, Piyush K. Dutta, Dynamic mode II delamination
fracture of unidirectional graphite/epoxy composites, Composites: Part B 34, pp.303316
2003.
8. Zou, S.R. Reid, S. Li, P.D. Soden, Application of a delamination model to laminated
composite structures, Composite Structures 56, pp. 375389, 2002.
9. J. Wang & B. L. Karihaloo, Matrix crack-induced delamination in composite
laminates under transverse loading, Composite Structures Vol. 38, No. 1-4, pp. 661-666,
1997.
10. SHAW MING LEE, Mode II delamination failure mechanisms of polymer matrix
composites, JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE 32, pp. 12871295, 1997.
11. Chengye Fan, P.Y. Ben Jar, J.J. Roger Cheng, A unified approach to quantify the role
of friction in beam-type specimens for the measurement of mode II delamination
resistance of fibre-reinforced polymers, Composites Science and Technology 67,
pp. 989995, 2007.
12. Jiang Zhou & Tianbai He, ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE END-NOTCHED FLEXURE
SPECIMEN FOR MEASURING MODE II FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF COMPOSITE
MATERIALS, Composites Science and Technology 50, pp. 209-213, 1194.

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