COMPTEST2006 10 to 12 of April of 2006 University of Porto Portugal

Experimental and numerical studies of mode I,II, III and mixed-mode I-II energy release rate in laminates

Rosa Marat-Mendes, Manuel de Freitas

rmendes@est.ips.pt

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES

OF MODE I, II, III AND MIXED-MODE I-II
ENERGY RELEASE RATE IN LAMINATES

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Summary
Introduction
Material

Properties
Samples

Experimental Procedure

Mode I
Mixed Mode I-II
Mode II
Mode III

Results

Experimental
Analytical

Conclusions
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Introduction
Lamination of composite structures is one of the most common

manufacturing techniques used in the construction of composite

components.
One of the limiting factors of laminated structures is a failure
mode known as delamination, which is the separation of
individual layers of the laminated structure.
There are three fundamental fracture modes for the crack
propagation:

Mode I

Mode II

Mode III
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Introduction
In reality delamination can occurs with a sobreposition

of the three modes.

The Mixed Mode Bending (MMB) test combines the
mode I (DCB) and the mode II (ENF) tests.
In this work it is used the mode I, the mode II, the mode
III separately and also a combined test of the two
modes I and II to predict the delamination in mixed
mode I-II.

a
L

Mode I
(DCB)

Mode II
(ENF)

Mixed Mode I-II

(MMB)
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Material
The material used was a UE400 REM GLASS UD PREPREG

from SEAL.
- epoxy resin ET443
- reinforced with unidirectional E glass fibers
(kg/m3)

E (GPa)

V (%)

E Glass fiber

2600

74

0.25

58

Epoxy resin 913

1200

4.5

0.4

42

The artificial pre-crack has been achieved inserting a single

13m thick Teflon-foil Type A-FEP from Dupont in the mid
plane of the specimens.

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Material Fabric of the samples

2 - Autoclave

1 - Lay-up

3 - Final Sample

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Lamina properties
Properties obtained through the tensile test and Incineration
Tests

EL [GPa]

ET [GPa]

GLT [GPa]

LT

Vf [%]

[024]

Mode I
Mode II
Mixed Mode I-II

43.94

16.71

3.58

0.30

58

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

Mode III

43.42

9.00

4.40

0.25

56

Incineration

Tensile test

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Samples for Mode I, Mode II e Mixed Mode I-II

Dimensions [mm]
w - b - 2h - a0

Sample

Test

Lay-up

UD_V_01_1

Mode I

[024]

162.25 23.58 6.93 31.50

UD_V_01_2

Mode I

[024]

161.95 25.23 6.55 31.70

UD_V_01_3

Mode II

[024]

162.40 25.72 6.55 32.30

UD_V_01_4

Mode I-II

[024]

161.70 23.43 6.40 32.30

UD_V_01_5

Mode II

[024]

161.85 24.63 6.38 32.30

UD_V_01_6

Mode I-II

[024]

161.85 24.18 6.30 32.60

UD_V_01_7

Mode I-II

[024]

162.05 23.88 6.40 33.30

UD_V_01_8

Mode I-II

[024]

162.05 23.43 6.40 32.50

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Samples for Mode III

Dimensions [mm]
b 2h a0 l

Samples

Tests

Lay-up

UD_V_04_8B

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

81.80 37.80 7.97 10.70 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_8C

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

90.40 37.30 8.17 10.10 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_15A

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

81.60 38.10 8.30 16.10 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_15C

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

87.60 36.97 8.27 15.00 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_19A

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

88.70 37.50 8.37 19.20 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_19C

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

89.40 37.30 8.13 19.70 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_23B

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

88.70 37.97 8.03 21.40 76.0 32.0

UD_V_04_23C

Mode III

[0/(45)3/( 45)3/90]s

88.30 38.00 8.37 22.20 76.0 32.0

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Mode I (DCB)
DCB Double Cantilever Beam
Standard D5528-01 ASTM

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Mode I-II (MMB)

MMB Mixed Mode Bending

Standard D6671-01 ASTM

Loading Yoke

Lever
Roller

Tab

base

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Mode II (ENF)
ENF End notch flexure

No standardization
Use of standard D6671-01 ASTM (Mixed Mode I-II) with c=0

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Mode III (ECT)

ECT Edge crack torsion

No standardization
Based on Lee (1993) Loading Pin

Specimen
Specimen

Support Pins
Guide Pins

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Experimental Procedure
An Instron 5544 with a load cell of 2kN was used, with

software Merlin.
The samples were loaded continuously in displacement
control with a rate of 0.5mm/min.
The Load-displacement plot was recorded during the test.

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Experimental Results Mode I and Mode II

Load-Displacement for Mode I (DCB) - UD_V_01_2
160

140

140

120

120

Aplied Load [N]

160

100
80
60
40

100
80
60
40
20

20

0
0

12

15

10

12

Dispalcement [mm]

Displacement [mm]

Load-Displacement for Mode II (ENF) - UD_V_01_5

-1300
-1100

Aplied Load [N]

Aplied Load [N]

Load-Displacement for Mode I (DCB) - UD_V_01_1

-900
-700
-500
-300
-100
0

-1

-2

-3

-4

-5

-6

-7

Displacement [mm]

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Experimental Results Mixed Mode I-II

and Mode III
Load-Displacement for Mixed Mode I+II (MMB) UD_V_01_7

-280

-250

-230

-200
Aplied Load [N]

Aplied Load [N]

Load-Displacement for Mixed Mode I+II (MMB) UD_V_01_6

-180
-130
-80

-150
-100
-50

-30
0

-1

-3

-5

-7

-9

-11

-1

-3

Displacement [mm]

-5

-7

-9

-11

Displacement [mm]

Load-DIsplacement for Mode III (ECT) - UD_V_04

Load-Displacement for Mixed Mode I+II (MMB) UD_V_01_4

-450

-2500

-400

-2000

-300

Aplied Load [N]

Aplied Load [N]

-350
-250
-200
-150
-100

-1500
-1000
-500

-50
0
0.0

0
-2.0

-4.0

-6.0

Displacement [mm]

-8.0

-10.0

-1

-3

-5

-7

-9

-11

Displacement [mm]

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Results Numerical Simulation

Finite Element Analysis using ANSYS with solid elements 46 Layered.
Mode I DCB

Mixed Mode I-II MMB

Mode II ENF
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Results Numerical Simulation

Mode III ECT

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Results FEM Strain energy release rate

ENF Test with VCCT (UD_V_01_5b)

DCB Test with VCCT (UD_V_01_1i)

1.40

1.60

1.20

1.40

1.00

1.20
1.00

0.80
G [J/mm 2]

GI

G [J/mm ]
0.60

GII

0.40

GIII

0.80

GI
GII

0.60

GIII

0.40

0.20
0.20

0.00
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0.00
0

0.2

0.4

x/L

0.6

0.8

x/L

ECT Test with VCCT (UD_V_04_19A)

MMB Test with VCCT (UD_V_01_8g)

0.60

6.0

0.50

5.0

0.40

4.0

G [J/mm 2] 0.30

G [J/mm2] 3.0

0.20

GI
GII

2.0

GI

GIII

GII

0.10

Support Point

Load Point

1.0

GIII

0.0

0.00
0

0.2

0.4

0.6
x/L

0.8

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

x/L

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Strain energy release rate Mode I

GI for UD_V_01
1.4

1.2

0.8

GI [J/mm2]
0.6

Experimental MBT
Experimental CC
Experimental MCC
Beam Theory MBT
Beam Theory CC
Beam Theory MCC
VCCT

0.4

0.2

0
30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

a [mm]

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Strain energy release rate Mode II

GII for UD_V_01_5

1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2

G [J/mm2]

1.0
0.8
0.6

Experimental

0.4
0.2

Beam Theory
VCCT

0.0
20

30

40

50

60

70

a [mm]

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Strain energy release rate Mixed Mode I-II

Gc=GI+GII for UD_V_01_8
1.8
Experimental

1.6

Beam Theory

1.4

VCCT

1.2
1.0
2

Gc [J/mm ] 0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

a [mm]

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Fracture Toughness vs Mode Mixture

DCB, Pure Mode I

MMB, Mode I and II

ENF, pure Mode II

2.0
1.8
1.6

Gc [J/mm]

1.4
1.2
Experimental

1.0

Beam theory

0.8

VCCT

0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

Mixed Mode ratio GII/Gc

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Strain energy release rate Mode III

GIII for UD_V_04

6.0
5.0

GIIIc (NL) exp

GIIIc (5%) exp
GIIIc (5%) VCCT

4.0

GIII (NL) VCCT

G [J/mm2] 3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
12.0

14.0

16.0

18.0

20.0

22.0

24.0

a [mm]

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Mode I, Mode II, Mode III

4
3.5
3
2.5

G [J/mm2]

GI VCCT
GII VCCT
GIII VCCT

1.5
1
0.5
0

4
3.5

G [J/mm2]

GI Exp

2.5

GII Exp

GIII Exp

1.5
1
0.5
0

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Conclusions
An analytical and experimental investigation was carried out on

a glass/epoxy laminates to evaluate the Double cantilever beam

(DCB), the End notch flexure (ENF), the Mixed mode bending
(MMB) and the Edge crack torsion (ECT) interlaminar fracture
toughness tests for laminated composites.
The mixed mode I-II procedure permits the simulation of

delamination initiation in mode I and mode II simultaneous.

A three dimensional finite element analysis was used to

compare the results calculated by the beam theory and by the

VCCT technique with the experimental values.
The experimental results determined for mode I, mode II and

mixed mode I-II are very close to the Finite Element using either
Beam Theory and VCCT.
Using ECT test it can be obtained pure mode III at the middle of

the specimen length away from both ends.

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THANK YOU

Rosa Marat-Mendes wishes to thank the support from the FCT (Fundao
para a Cincia e Tecnologia) for the PhD grant no. SFRH/BD/25561/2005.

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