Abstract
The effect of the stress field near the free-surface region of CFRP laminate on crack formation is investigated by multiscale analysis based on the mesh superposition method. Our multiscale approach consists of two finite-element analyses on different scale: local analysis considering microscopic structure of laminate, and global analysis assumed to be a homogeneous and anisotropic elasto-plastic body. Global analysis is performed to evaluate macroscopic deformation behavior of laminate. Local analysis is then conducted to predict crack formation in CFRP laminate, utilizing the displacement history obtained from the global analysis. Global analysis and local analysis are solved iteratively to obtain convergence results that reflect the interaction between macroscopic deformation and heterogeneity of CFRP. Our multiscale approach is applied to unidirectional CFRP laminates to evaluate the effect of the free surface on crack formation.
