Strain Prediction And Analysis Of Gf/Epoxy Composite Cylindrical Shells With Various Internal Defects

A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model is built to investigate the strain response of glass fibre reinforced epoxy matrix (GF/epoxy) cylindrical shells. Internal defects including delamination (IDD) and fracture defects (IFD) with different areas are considered. Progressive damage models are adopted to predict the circumferential strain (CS) and longitudinal strain (LS) and stress distribution. Results show that CS is the dominant strain when the GF/epoxy cylinders contain IDD, and the maximum LS and Mises stress position coincides with the loading position. The maximum Mises stress increases with the increasing of IDD area. However, when the cylinders contain IFD are subjected to internal pressure, the CS and LS are close. The maximum LS and Mises stress are located at the upper end of the cylinder and the defect position, respectively. The results will be useful for damage detection and health assessment of cylindrical shells containing internal defects.