A fully implicit computational approach to dynamic delamination under large displacements

The present work deals with the problem of delamination in composite materials composed by thin laminae joined by finite thickness adhesive layers. A fully implicit finite element method is proposed to study the problem of delamination in the dynamic regime and under the hypothesis of large displacements. In this framework, adhesive layers are modelled by means of interface elements specifically augmented with a mass matrix to consider their inertia effects on the global response, together with a geometric and a material contribution to the tangent stiffness matrix. The nonlinear fracture process taking place along the interfaces is described by means of the cohesive zone model.