Numerical and experimental validation of nonlinear deflection and stress responses of pre-damaged glass-fibre reinforced composite structure

In the present article, nonlinear static deflections of internally damaged shear deformable laminated composite curved (single and doubly) shell panel are investigated numerically under the quasi-static loading and validated with experimental results. For the numerical analysis, a general nonlinear mathematical model of the laminated composite curved shell panel including the effect of the internal damage is derived with the help of two higher-order kinematic theories and Green-Lagrange nonlinear strain. The desired governing equation is obtained by minimizing the energy expression and solved via nonlinear finite element steps. The numerical responses are computed via a generic MATLAB code developed based on the present mathematical formulation. The degree of accuracy of the current numerical model has been checked and the subsequent validation is established by comparing the present results with available published results. In addition, an experimental investigation has also been carried out for the comparison purpose via three-point bend test on the laminated Glass/Epoxy composite with artificial delamination. Lastly, numbers of numerical examples are solved to demonstrate the implicit behavior of the currently developed higher-order nonlinear model for the analysis of the pre-damaged layered structure.