Mode-I interlaminar fracture behavior of laminated bamboo composites

Abstract

Mode-I interlaminar fracture behavior of laminated bamboo composites was characterized by mechanical testing in a bonded double cantilever beam configuration. No obvious fiber bridging was observed during the test. At the front of crack tip, nonlinear response was relatively small and negligible. The failure mode of laminated bamboo composites was mainly governed by brittle fracture. Mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness ([Formula: see text]) calculated using the modified beam theory was 501.08 J/m2. Besides, numerical simulation combined with cohesive elements was used to simulate the mode-I interlaminar fracture behavior. A direct method for the determination of cohesive parameters without recourse to iterative fitting was presented in detail. The applicability and effectiveness of this method for interpretation of the fracture behavior of laminated bamboo composites were verified by comparing numerical predictions with experimental results.