Validation of a progressive failure model using technological specimens

Abstract

The design of composite structures is of main interest for the aerospace industry. The utmost difficulty relies on the complexity of the damage mechanisms taking place before failure and the influence of the mechanical loading history on the damage kinetics. In addition, the presence of geometrical singularities requires well-adapted criterion or non-local formulations to properly predict the strength of the structure. To overcome these difficulties, engineers in the industry have developed design techniques that reckon on experimental data at different scales that are used to calibrate advanced models. These approaches have proven their relevancy; however, their domain of validity remains moderate. Advanced composite constitutive models bolster both the validation and extension of their domain of utilisation. Although these validations are often carried on elementary coupons, performing mechanical tests on specimens having undergone complex loading histories or specimens featuring geometrical singularities similar to those found in structures is still a practise that needs to be performed