A numerical study on the effect of delamination on composite cylindrical shells subjected to hydrostatic pressure. (15th October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wei, Ranfeng; Shen, Kechun; Pan, Guang
• Is Part Of: Ocean engineering. Volume 262(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-10-15
• Subjects: Composite cylindrical shells -- VCCT -- Buckling -- Delamination propagation; Ocean engineering -- Periodicals; Ocean engineering; Periodicals; 620.4162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112294
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0029-8018

Abstract

Abstract: This paper deals with the delamination damage and the effect of buckling behavior on delamination propagation of the composite cylindrical shell subjected to hydrostatic pressure. The model of the composite shell with initial delamination and geometric imperfection is elaborated numerically by using the finite element method. The virtual crack closure technique is employed to calculate the strain energy release rate, and the linear fracture criterion is used to determine the onset and growth of the delamination. The buckling deformation and delamination propagation are monitored by performing the nonlinear buckling analysis. In addition, a parametric study is carried out to investigate the influence of the initial delamination shape, area, depth, and ply orientation on ultimate pressure and delamination propagation path. The results show that local or global buckling of the shell promotes the propagation of delamination, and the ultimate buckling pressure of the shell is more sensitive to the axial initial delamination length. The initial delamination shape, depth, and ply orientation have different influences on the ultimate pressure of the shell and the delamination propagation path, and the corresponding explanations are given in this paper. Highlights: The delamination propagation path of the composite shell subjected to hydrostatic pressure is presented. A transition zone is introduced in the model to improve the convergence of the entire model. It is found that the interlaminar damage tends to propagate axially rather than circumferentially. The effects of different initial delamination types on the buckling and delamination propagation of shells are explained in detail.