A multiscale damage and crack opening model for the prediction of flow path in laminated composite

Abstract Laminated composites are increasingly used for fluid storage or transportation. The composite structure generally includes a metallic or polymer liner in order to prevent leakage which can generate a significant increase in cost and mass. The development of a linerless solution thus represents a promising improvement. Nevertheless, composite laminates are subjected to damage which can generate leakage paths at a load level significantly lower than strength load. In this paper, a multiscale approach is used to model the damage state by two physical variables representing the crack density and the delamination length at crack tips. The effect of damage and load on crack opening is evaluated using a batch of finite element simulations on elementary damaged cells. The ply scale model resulting from this work can be used to predict the flow path in any composite laminate subject to any in-plane loading.