A fully coupled multiscale shell formulation for the modelling of fibre reinforced laminates

Paper in proceeding, 2014

In this contribution, we discuss the potential of using a fully coupled multiscale method based on computational homogenisation for simulating the mechanical response of fibre reinforced thin-walled laminates based on shell theory. Emphasis is placed on the effect of e.g. RVE size on the results as compared to both a fully resolved 3D analysis and a pure shell analysis. In the investigations of the method, we restrict to elastic response and focus on the pros and cons of the approach in terms of the accuracy in the through-thickness direction and the benefits thereof in predicting onset of e.g. matrix and/or delamination cracks. It is clear that with the adopted boundary conditions, the ’best’ results (in terms of stress distribution compared to the reference case in 3D) that can be achieved corresponds to what is obtained in the shell analysis.