Peridynamics for damage modeling of variable stiffness composite laminates

A novel peridynamics-based framework for variable stiffness composites (VSCs) damage analysis is established. In this framework, virtual material points are introduced and rotated to capture the varying stiffness characteristics of curved fibers, while a mapping function is employed to transfer the force functions to the regular material points. This approach overcomes traditional PD model limitations and captures VSCs' deformation and damage evolution behavior more effectively. Then, the model is verified and applied by four tests of common variable stiffness materials: deformation of single-lamina compression, deformation of laminate tension, damage of single-laminae tension with cracks, and damage of laminate tension with holes. The deformation and damage behaviors of these specimens are predicted with the proposed peridynamic models, and compared to those from finite element methods and experimental solutions. The results show that the proposed peridynamics-based method can successfully capture the damage evolution characteristics of variable stiffness materials, including the interlayer damage and crack path evolution of cracks.