Numerical failure analysis of glass-fiber-reinforced composites

The purpose of this work was to propose a new numerical model for glass-fiber-reinforced composites. The proposed numerical model was constructed with orthotropic shell, isotropic shell, and beam elements representing glass fiber cloth, silica filler, and the remaining matrix resin, respectively. The proposed model was applied to failure analysis under three-point bending conditions. The validity of the numerical model was checked through comparisons with experimental results. Four types of specimens were used: composite resin, and composite resin with neutral, upper, and lower glass-fiber cloth reinforcement insertions. For all types, close agreement between the analytical and experimental results was confirmed. This indicates that the proposed numerical model is effective for evaluating the mechanical behaviors of glass-fiber-reinforced composites.