Progressive Fracture of Fiber Composite Thin Shell Structures under Internal Pressure and Axial Loads

Abstract

Graphite/epoxy composite thin shell cylindrical structures were simulated to investigate damage and fracture progression due to internal pressure and axial loading. Defective and defect-free structures (thin cylinders) were examined. The three laminates examined had fiber orientations of [90/0/±O],, where 0 is 450, 600, and 75°. CODSTRAN, an integrated computer code that scales up constituent level properties to the structural level and accounts for all possible failure modes, was used to simulate composite degradation under loading. Damage initiation, growth, accumulation, and propagation to fracture were included in the simulation. Burst pressures for defective and defect-free shells were compared to evaluate damage tolerance. The results showed that damage initiation began with matrix failure, whereas damage and/or fracture progression occurred as a result of additional matrix failure and fiber fracture. In both thin cylinder cases examined (defective and defect-free), the optimum layup configuration was [90/0/±60], because it had the best damage tolerance with respect to the burst pressure.