Numerical Analysis of Fracture Mechanics in Composite Material Reinforced with Fiberglass

Renan Costa Sales¹; Audelis de Oliveira Marcelo Júnior¹; Bruno Rodrigues Amorim¹; Enio Pontes de Deus²

¹ Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú; ² Universidade Federal do Ceará

doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-0406

Resumo

Due the use of composite materials in structural engineering, understanding the nature and failure mechanisms for application in numerical simulations of crack propagation in these materials, it is essential to examine the approximate behavior in which the structure will be in its critical state. Thus, this paper aims to analyze computationally the crack propagation in polymeric composite material reinforced with fiberglass - polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Performing the numerical modeling of the matrix and fiber, in order to evaluate the interaction that occurs in its interface, and using the extended finite element method (XFEM), integrated into the ABAQUS software, to simulate the crack. The results obtained computationally are faced with the experimental data in the tensile tests, based on relations of the damage variable and normal stress with the strain in the numerical simulation.

Palavras-chave: Extend Finite Element Method; Composite Materials; Fracture Mechanics; Numerical Analysis