Application description
This example examines the debonding behavior of a double cantilever beam. Debond onset and growth are predicted for matched meshes in both Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit and mismatched meshes in Abaqus/Standard. Different mesh discretizations are also used to investigate their effects on the debonding behavior. The results from Abaqus/Standard are compared with the results obtained using the VCCT-based fracture interface elements in Mabson (2003), as well as the results predicted by theory. The results predicted using VCCT, cohesive elements, and surface-based cohesive behavior in Abaqus/Standard are also compared.
The debonding behavior can also be studied by using the VCCT capability in Abaqus/Explicit. The model used in Abaqus/Explicit is constructed to achieve quasi-static behavior that allows the results obtained to be comparable with those generated using VCCT in Abaqus/Standard.
The same model is analyzed in Abaqus/Standard using the fatigue crack growth criterion to assess the fatigue life when the model is subjected to sub-critical cyclic loading. The onset and delamination growth are characterized using the Paris law, which relates the relative fracture energy release rate to the crack growth rate. The fracture energy release rate at the crack tip is calculated based on the VCCT technique. The results from Abaqus are compared with those predicted by the theory in Tada (1985).
Geometry
The double cantilever beam in this example has a span of 9.0 in (228.6 mm) with a rectangular cross-section of 1.0 in (25.4 mm) wide × 0.4 in (10.2 mm) deep, as shown in Figure 1.
Boundary conditions and loading
One end of the beam is fixed, and the displacements are applied at the other end, as shown in Figure 1. The maximum displacement is set equal to 0.16 in (4.1 mm) in the monotonic loading cases. In the fatigue crack growth analysis a cyclic displacement loading with a peak value of 0.05 in (1.3 mm) is specified.