Initial post-buckling and growth of a circular delamination bridged by nonlinear fibers

Axisymmetric buckling, initial post-buckling and growth of a circular delamination bridged by nonlinear fibers in three-dimensional composites are studied by a perturbation method. The through-thickness fibers are assumed to provide nonlinear restoring traction resisting the deflection of the delaminated layer A closed-form solution for the central deflection of the delamination due to on applied compressive stress during initial post- buckling is obtained. In addition, some simple formulas for calculating the strain energy release rate and the mixed mode stress intensity ratio (i.e., Mode II versus Mode I) at the delamination crack tip are also established. Some interesting conclusions arising directly from the perturbation solutions are drawn. These include: (1) initial post-buckling behavior of a circular delamination is unstable for a softening bridging model; this may result in initial delamination growth for some materials with lower fracture toughness when the delamination buckles rather than post-buckles. However, stable growth is obtained for a hardening bridging model; (2) with an. increase of the nonlinear fiber bridging parameter (<(<beta>)over bar>), the residual stiffness of a three-dimensional composite structure with a circular delamination increases gradually (3) bridging force changes the catastrophic nature of the delamination growth and increases the stability of the delamination. The range and the dynamic effect of the unstable delamination growth diminish or disappear as the bridging parameters increase; (4) for the bridged delamination, the higher the material fracture toughness, the higher the stability of the delamination growth, and the smaller the range and dynamic effect of its unstable growth.