Mesoscale finite element analysis of cracked composite laminates under out-of-plane loads using 3D periodic boundary conditions Ghent University
The behavior of composite materials under out-of-plane loads is strongly affected by the presence of transverse ply cracks. The cracks perturb the distribution of stresses leading to large out-of-plane shear stiffness reductions. It is crucial to include these effects in the damage material models to improve their accuracy. Therefore, the stress transfer and stiffness reduction in cracked laminates have been studied with a mesoscale finite ...