Modeling of delamination in composite laminates using a layer-wise plate theory

Abstract The layer-wise laminate theory of Reddy is extended to account for multiple delaminations between layers, and the associated computational model is developed. Delaminations between layers of composite plates are modeled by jump discontinuity conditions at the interfaces. Geometric nonlinearity is included to capture layer buckling. The strain energy release rate distribution along the boundary of delaminations is computed by a novel algorithm. The computational model presented is validated through several numerical examples.

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