Study on the effect of delamination defects on the mechanical properties of CFRP composites

Delamination defects commonly occur during the preparation and utilization of CFRP laminates, which seriously affect the performance and durability. In this paper, finite element models of defective CFRP laminates with different delamination areas, delamination depths, and delamination front shapes were successfully established. Numerical simulation shows that the compression properties of CFRP are remarkably affected by the delamination area and delamination depth. When the delamination area exceeds 100 mm2, the effect on the CFRP compressive properties becomes more significant. In addition, when the delamination depth is below 1 mm, the higher the delamination depth, the more significant the effect on the CFRP compressive properties. On the contrary, the front shape of delamination has a slight influence on the compression performance of CFRP. Additionally, the feasibility of predicting the effect of delamination on the mechanical properties of CFRP laminates using the finite element model was verified by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results. The results of this study provide a theoretical reference for predicting the compressive properties of laminates with embedded delamination.