Thermo-Elastic Fracture Analysis of Angle-ply laminates

Present work deals with the suitability of the finite element model of infinitely wide angle-ply Fiber Reinforced Polymeric (FRP) laminates to predict the fracture behaviour, when subjected to thermo - mechanical loads. A four-layered symmetric angle-ply FRP laminate with fiber orientations (theta/-theta/-theta/theta) with an edge crack at its centre interface is modelled in a commercial finite element software ANSYS. Four different loads such as i) combined uniform temperature rise and pressure, ii) combined uniform temperature fall and pressure iii) uniform temperature rise, and iv) uniform temperature fall are considered for the prediction of Strain Energy Release Rate (SERR) using Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) for a range of values of the plate width. From the present analysis, it is observed that a minimum of 160 mm width (except theta=45(0) for combined rise and combined fall, theta=60(0) for temperature rise and temperature fall in both the laminates) is sufficient to model an infinitely wide angle ply FRP laminate for thermal as well as thermo-mechanical loads. (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.