Title: A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF LAYUP EFFECTS ON FAILURE IN OPEN HOLE COMPRESSION LAMINATES

Authors: Amit Chaudhary, Supratik Mukhopadhyay

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33599/GL.2026.INCOMAT.TP26-0010

Abstract: The demand for weight reduction in aerospace, marine and automotive industries drives the use of composites in load-carrying primary structures. These materials exhibit an asymmetrical mechanical response under tension and compression, with ultimate compressive strength almost 30% lower than tensile strength, and this poorer compressive performance is linked to an instability-driven failure mode known as fibre kinking. Cut-outs required for assembly and inherent manufacturing defects further weaken the structure and act as initiation sites for failure, so open-hole compression (OHC) testing serves as a benchmark for measuring the compressive strength of notched components. In multidirectional OHC laminates, kinking is likely to initiate and interact with other damage modes such as delamination and matrix cracking, producing a complex nonlinear damage progression that cannot be predicted analytically. This paper presents a high-fidelity numerical modelling approach for simulating OHC failure by combining a kinematically enriched fibre-kinking model for improved representation of the kinking process with a mesh-independent matrix-crack model for matrix cracking. The proposed framework requires fewer and more easily identifiable material parameters compared to traditional damage models, thereby simplifying calibration and practical implementation. Failure simulations are performed for a range of layups, including 0^° ply-dominant, quasi-isotropic, and off-axis ply-dominant layups. The proposed approach reproduces the intricate damage interactions in great detail while showing good agreement with reported experimental findings for failure load, damage pattern and sequence, without the need for specialised meshing strategies, thereby enhancing robustness and ease of implementation.

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Conference: INCOMAT 2026

Publication Date: 2026/03/13

SKU: INCOMAT.TP26-0010

Pages: 13

Price: $26.00