Phase field modelling of interlaminar failure in composites using Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation theory

Abstract

Delamination in fiber-reinforced composites has been a subject of extensive research since many years ago, and the interlaminar failure analysis of composite laminates employing the phase field method often encounters challenges in the flexibility to handle complex multilayer structures. This leads to exceptionally high computational costs, particularly in large-scale problems. To address this, a new phase field method is proposed in this paper that, through the introduction of Reddy’s higher-order shear deformation theory into the phase field model, facilitates efficient fracture analysis by reducing three-dimensional problems into two dimensions. This innovation considerably enhances computational efficiency while retaining an engineering-acceptable level of accuracy, as illustrated by three examples. The proposed phase field method promises to be of tremendous generic use and provides a scalable and efficient alternative to the analysis of inter-laminar failure of composite laminates based on the phase field method.