DEBONDING IN COMPOSITE MICROSTRUCTURES WITH MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS

This paper describes the development of the Voronoi cell finite element model (VCFEM) with interfacial decohesion for simulating debonding induced microstructural damage in fiber reinforced composites. Normal and tangential cohesive zone models at the matrix-fiber interface are used to describe the onset and growth of damage along the inclusion-matrix interface. It is shown that the initiation and especially the propagation of debonding depends not only on the total cohesive energy, but also on the shape of the traction-displacement curve. The model is used to study the influence of various local morphological parameters on damage evolution by interfacial debonding. A special function of various geometric parameters is developed to predict the location of debonding in microstructures with varying morphology. Various numerical examples are solved to establish the effectiveness of the model.