Development of the Virtual Crack Closure Technique using Layer Wise theory for Delamination Propagation of a Composite Beam in Mode I

Due to the sensitivity of the results in the delamination area of composite laminates, it is necessary to use accurate theories that include all components of stress to study this area. For this purpose, in the present study, the virtual crack closure technique based on layer wise theory has been developed to analyze the propagation of delamination in a composite beam. The strain energy release rate in mode I is determined based on the properties of the material and an algorithm is proposed to implement the method. The present method has been implemented numerically in MATLAB software on a 2D and 3D Double Cantilever Beam (DCB). In order to validate the method, it has been compared with the results of previous works based on Finite Element method. An analytical solution to the problem is also presented and compared with the results of the present work. The force-displacement behavior of a DCB composite beam is analyzed, which indicates the suitable capability of this method in the analysis of propagation of delamination, and the computations are reduced relative to the three-dimensional Finite Element.