Analysis of unidirectional (0°) fiber-reinforced laminated composite double cantilever beam specimen using higher order beam theories

Mathematical models, for the stress analysis of unidirectional (0°) fiber-reinforced laminated composite double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen using classical beam theory, first and higher order shear deformation beam theories, have been developed to determine the mode I strain energy release rate (SERR) for unidirectional composites. In the present study, appropriate matching conditions at the crack tip of the DCB specimen have been derived by using variational principles. SERR has been calculated using compliance method. In general, the performance of shear deformation beam models of DCB specimen with variationally derived matching conditions at the crack tip is good in determining the SERR for medium to long crack lengths. Performance of higher order shear deformation beam model (having quadratically varying transverse displacement over the thickness) of DCB specimen, with non-variationally derived matching conditions at the crack tip, is good in determining the SERR for all the crack lengths in comparison with the available theoretical and finite element solutions in the literature. Higher order shear deformation beam theories having varying transverse displacement over the thickness are more appropriate to analyze DCB specimen as they predict the appropriate nature of the interlaminar normal stress at the crack tip and its distribution ahead of the crack tip.