Effects of ply angle and blocking on open-hole tensile strength of composite laminates: A design and certification perspective

On the importance of finite element mesh alignment along the fibre direction for modelling damage in fibre-reinforced polymer composite laminates

“…Fibre aligned meshes have been applied to OHT simulations [6], [7], [46], [47]. These approaches have typically used a hole cutting algorithm and vertex adjustment through python scripting.…”

“…The authors demonstrated that their approach, a material-aligned structured mesh, was the most accurate. This approach has been used, as an article of faith, by both Chuaqui et al [47], to study the effect of ply angle and blocking on open-hole tensile strength, and Laux et al [7] for specimens subjected to combined tension/compression and shear loading using a modified Arcan fixture (MAF). This meshing approach used a combination of brick elements with wedge elements along the curved edges and around the hole.…”

“…OHT specimens were based on the work of Chuaqui et al [47], specifically test case SA1. This FEA model measured 36 x 36 mm with a hole diameter of 6 mm.…”

“…This FEA model measured 36 x 36 mm with a hole diameter of 6 mm. AS4/8552 unidirectional prepreg material properties were used and can be found in [47]. The specimen layup was [45/0/-45/0/-45/0/45/0/90/02/90/0/-45/0/45/0/45/0/-45].…”

“…Results for the diamond aligned mesh have been extracted from ref. [47] given the need for highly complex hole cutting algorithms and vertex adjustments beyond the scope of this work.…”