New investigation of delamination using the VCCT method to predict the damage in bonded composite repair plates subjected to tensile load
International Journal of Structural Integrity
ISSN: 1757-9864
Article publication date: 4 January 2024
Issue publication date: 10 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study provides an analysis of patch repair for cracked aircraft structures. Delamination is a type of damage that affects the patch's behavior. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of delamination on repair performance.
Design/methodology/approach
An analytical and numerical study using the finite element method was conducted for a cracked plate repaired with a patch containing a pre-existing delamination defect. The method for defining the contact pair surfaces and modeling the delamination interaction within the patch interface is specified using the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) approach.
Findings
The efficiency of the repair is measured in terms of the J-integral. The effects of delamination initiation, mechanical loading, crack length and patch stacking sequences are presented. It is noted that in mode I, delamination propagation is only significant at node A. The numerical results are in good agreement with those of the analytical solution found in the literature. It is observed that the patch's behavior is strongly dependent on loading, crack size and stacking sequences in terms of reducing the structure's lifespan, especially in the presence of delamination.
Originality/value
The numerical modeling presented by the VCCT approach is highly valuable for studying delamination evolution. The influence of loading, crack size and stacking sequences on repair performance is discussed in this work.
Keywords
Citation
Talbi, S., Salem, M., Mechab, B., Ghomari, T., Allem, A., Bachir Bouiadjra, B. and Mehdi, B. (2024), "New investigation of delamination using the VCCT method to predict the damage in bonded composite repair plates subjected to tensile load", International Journal of Structural Integrity, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 162-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSI-11-2023-0113
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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