Life Prediction of FRP Composites by a Direct Method

A direct computational approach for lifetime prediction of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is presented. The approach is based on a direct method which allows predicting the fatigue life from the stabilised damage state. The classical direct method is generalised to the case of coupled plasticity with damage mechanics of the UD-FRP composite materials [1]. The constitutive model is based on a continuous damage meso-scale approach [2]. By analysing damage variables and thermodynamical forces associated with damage at the stabilised state, fatigue life prediction law is proposed as a power law function of stabilised thermodynamic forces. The obtained numerical results have been validated by experimental test results on standard glass-fibre/epoxy angle-ply and cross-ply laminate plates. The proposed approach could serve as a useful tool for the design of FRP composites. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)