Edge delamination in a laminated composite strip under generalized plane deformations

Abstract

Edge delamination cracks in an elastic laminated composite strip are considered within the range of generalized plane deformations. By way of a simple regular finite element method, the method of mutual integral, wherein generalized plane strain solutions are employed as auxiliary fields, is applied to edge delamination cracks to obtain the complex stress intensities. The proposed numerical scheme is found to be very efficient and accurate. Moreover, the crack growth stability is examined for various loadings, including compression, bending and torsion, in terms of the energy release rate and mode mixity.