Efecto de tamaño en laminados cruzados: Estudio de la transición entre escalas de la iniciación de grietas usando un enfoque variacional de la mecánica de la fractura

This work studies the problem of transverse cracking in cross-ply laminates through the progression of the damage across scales. A set of computational models of the transverse ply were generated at the meso scale, including full detail of the geometry at the microscale, with the aim of observing the phenomenon at the two scales. Thanks to these models, it was possible to capture the progression of damage, from small debonds at the fiber-matrix interface to full-thickness cracks at the mesoscale. The models are based on prescribing a cohesive zone model at the fiber-matrix interface and a phase-field approach of fracture at the matrix bulk. This approach is especially suitable at the microscale. Among other interesting results, it was found that the stability of the progression across scales depends strongly on the transverse-ply thickness.