Fracture mechanics-based progressive damage modelling of adhesively bonded fibre-reinforced polymer joints

A quasi-static progressive damage model for prediction of the fracture behaviour and strength of adhesively bonded fibre-reinforced polymer joints is introduced in this paper. The model is based on the development of a mixed-mode failure criterion as a function of a master R-curve derived from the experimental results obtained from standard fracture mechanics joints. Consequently, the developed failure criterion is crack-length and mode-mixity dependent, and it takes into account the contribution of the fibre-bridging effect. Energy release rate values for adhesively bonded double-lap joints are obtained by using the virtual crack closure technique method in a finite element model, and the numerically obtained strain energy release rate is compared to the critical strain energy release rate given by the mixed-mode failure criterion. The entire procedure is implemented in a numerical algorithm, which was successfully used for predicting the strength and R-curve response of adhesively bonded double-lap structural joints made of pultruded glass fibre-reinforced polymers and epoxy adhesives.

Mixed-Mode Static and Fatigue Failure Criteria for Adhesively-Bonded FRP Joints

Moslem Shahverdi

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are increasingly used in many load-bearing structures. Joints are the most critical structural elements as they often become the weak links in engineering structures. Bonding and bolting are two of the main joining techniques used for composite elements but, although bolted and bonded joints have their advantages and disadvantages, adhesively-bonded joints are often preferred. This is thanks to their better performance in terms of cost-effective structures with uniformly distributed stresses without the need for cutting fastener holes that result in high stress concentrations in the FRP adherends at the edges of the holes. In addition, due to the absence of stress concentrations, adhesively-bonded joints exhibit better fatigue behavior. However, the efficient and reliable use of adhesively-bonded joints requires a thorough understanding of their failure mechanisms under mixed-mode quasi-static and fatigue loading conditions. In real structural applications, failure of adhesively-bonded joints occurs due to crack initiation and propagation under varying mixed-mode ratios. Since it is difficult to describe this progressive fracture in a structural joint, fracture joints with constant mode-mixity ratios are used to determine the strain energy release rates for crack initiation and propagation. Subsequently, mixed-mode failure criteria based on the determined strain energy release rates can be established and used to model/predict the fatigue and fracture behaviors of structural joints. The main objectives of this thesis were to understand the fracture and fatigue behaviors of adhesively-bonded FRP fracture joints under Mode I, Mode II, and mixed-Mode I/II loading conditions and, consequently, develop mixed-mode static and fatigue failure criteria applicable to structural joints. To fulfill these objectives a combined experimental-analytical-numerical study was undertaken. Double cantilever beam (DCB-Mode I), end-load split (ELS-Mode II), and mixed-mode bending (MMB-Mode I/II) specimens were examined under quasi-static and constant amplitude fatigue loading. Analytical approaches were used to determine the strain energy release rates under quasi-static and fatigue loading, whereas phenomenological models were developed to characterize the fatigue and fracture behaviors of the joints. A new approach designated the “extended global method” was established and applied for the analysis of the quasi-static and fatigue experimental data and the fracture mode partitioning in the mixed-mode experiments. In parallel, non-linear finite element models were developed to simulate the quasi-static fracture behavior and investigate the effects of both the existing asymmetry and the observed fiber bridging on the fracture behavior of the examined joints. The bridging zone was modeled by zero-thickness cohesive elements. An exponential traction-separation description of the cohesive zone model was shown to appropriately model the fiber bridging and calculate its contribution to the fracture energy under quasi-static loading. The FE models were successfully employed for the separation of the fracture parameters, i.e. strain energy released at the crack tip (Gtip) and the amount of energy released along the crack-bridging zone (Gbr), in the quasi-static mixed-mode failure criterion for crack propagation. In addition to the studies on the quasi-static fracture behavior of the joints, a new phenomenological fatigue crack growth formulation for the modeling and prediction of Rratio effects on the Mode I fatigue behavior of adhesively-bonded joints was also derived. The model was used for prediction of the fatigue behavior of the examined joints under different R-ratios. The results proved that the model could accurately simulate the fatigue behavior of the examined joints and was also capable of predicting behavior exhibited under unseen loading conditions, i.e. the R-ratios used for estimating the model parameters were different from those used for validating its prediction capability. The experimental results and numerical analyses combined with the phenomenological models were used to establish mixed-mode static and fatigue failure criteria for crack initiation and crack propagation for the adhesively-bonded joints. The derived mixed-mode failure criteria can be used for simulating/predicting the crack initiation and progressive crack propagation in structural joints comprising the same adhesive and adherends.

EPFL2013

Fracture and Fatigue of Adhesively-Bonded Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Structural Joints

Ye Zhang

Being good structural replacement for other conventional material, the pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) profiles are being increasingly used in civil engineering structures. The connection between components is considered the most suspect area for failure initiation. The adhesive bonding is preferred for FRP composite structures, rather than the mechanical fastening, due to the brittle failure nature of composite materials. During past decades, many efforts have been made by researchers to better understand the mechanism of adhesive bonding, to analyze the stress distributions and to improve the strength of composite structural joints. However there is still no commonly accepted design code/standard existing for adhesively-bonded joints in civil engineering infrastructures since several important knowledge gaps are to be filled. Besides the joint strength at failure, the characterization and modeling of the progressive failure process, in particular involving the so-called crack initiation and propagation phases, is also an important concern. By employing the strain energy release rate (SERR) as the fracture parameter, the linear-elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach is considered an efficient method to model the fracture behavior of structural joints. However, due to the uncontrollable crack initiation and the complex geometric configurations, the crack measurement techniques and the calculation method for the SERR are to be validated. In fracture mechanics, the fracture of a material or component can be described by a single mode or the combinations of the following three basic modes: opening mode (Mode I), shearing mode (Mode II), and tearing mode (Mode III). During the fracture of a structural joint, crack initiation and propagation are driven by combined through-thickness tensile (peeling), and shear stresses, thus resulting in a mixed mode fracture. In order to use the fracture results of structural joints to form the mixed fracture criterion for a specific composite material, a feasible analytical or numerical method are to be developed to determine the Mode I and II components of the SERR during fracture. Although many efforts have been made to better understand the short-term behavior of structural joint under quasi-static loading, the long-term performance under fatigue loading and different environmental conditions is a more demanding task when adhesively-bonded joints are applied in a real structure. Most of structural failures occur due to mechanisms that are driven by fatigue loading and for composite structures, the fatigue produced by the repeated application of live load is more critical due to its lighter self-weight, in other words the lower dead load. Besides the fatigue loading, a structure in practice may also experience the combined environmental effects of two basic factors: temperature and humidity. These environmental conditions may directly affect properties of structural joints, including the failure mechanism, the stiffness and strength, the crack initiation and propagation and etc.. Thus, the missing knowledge and confidences in the long-term behavior under cyclic loading and the durability under different environmental conditions are the main obstacles to the further development of FRP composites in civil engineering infrastructures. In this research, the mechanical and fracture behavior of adhesively-bonded double-lap and stepped-lap joints (DLJs and SLJs) composed of pultruded GFRP laminates and an epoxy adhesive were experimentally and numerically investigated under both quasi-static and fatigue loadings. The crack measurement techniques and the calculation methods for the SERR were validated for DLJs and SLJs. The LEFM approach was successfully applied to characterize and model the progressive failure process of structural joints. The Mode I and II components of the SERR of DLJs and SLJs were determined using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique in finite element analysis. Combining with the results of pure Mode I and II experiments, a mixed mode fracture criterion for pultruded GFRP composite was formed. Under fatigue loading, the fatigue behavior of structural joints was successfully modeled by using the stiffness-based and fracture mechanics approaches, besides the F-N curves. Based on the stiffness degradation, a linear and a sigmoid non-linear model were established and the fatigue live corresponding to the failure and allowable stiffness degradation can be predicted. Concerning fracture mechanics approach, the Fatigue Crack Growth (FCG) curves were formed for DLJs and SLJs and the corresponding fracture parameters were obtained. Similarly to stiffness-based approach, fatigue lives corresponding to the failure and allowable crack length can be predicted. The environmental effects on both short- and long-term performances of structural joints were experimentally evaluated and numerically modeled based on experimental results. The temperature-dependent joint stiffness can be predicted using the finite element analysis based on the thermomechanical properties of constituent materials. A relationship between the equivalent quasi-static joint strength under different environmental conditions and the cyclic stresses and the fatigue life was established.

EPFL2010

Capillary phenomena in liquid composite moulding

Jan-Anders Månson, Véronique Michaud

In liquid composite moulding, capillary phenomena take place as the fibre/air interface is progressively replaced by the fibre/resin interface. These effects are often neglected when computing the flow front progression into the fibre preform, because the surface tension of the resins is low. However, these are recognized to exert an influence on the final void content of the part. In this article, we present experimental results from unidirectional infiltration of an epoxy resin under constant flow rate into non-crimp fabrics. The inlet pressure rise is shown to deviate from linearity, indicating a progressive saturation. A multiphase flow approach is proposed to model infiltration, assuming saturation curves and relative permeability dependence on saturation based on soil science literature. Numerical results using a FEM code show trends that are in good qualitative agreement with experimental results. The interest and validity of this approach is then discussed.