Sensitivity analysis of the superposition model to characterise the fibre bridging effect on the mode I Paris curve
F.M. Monticeli (TU Delft - Group Pascoe)
D. Biagini (TU Delft - Group Pascoe)
Yasmine Mosleh (TU Delft - Bio-based Structures & Materials)
J.A. Pascoe (TU Delft - Group Pascoe)
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Abstract
Fibre bridging in laminated composites has a significant effect on Mode I delamination behaviour, resulting in improved opening resistance and altered fatigue crack growth rates. This study investigates the sensitivity of a recently developed superposition model to capture monotonic and cyclic bridging contributions to fatigue delamination. Double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were tested under quasi-static and cyclic loading to derive R-curves and bridging stress profiles. A set of eleven different parameter combinations were used to generate zero-bridging Paris curves, followed by ANOVA based sensitivity analysis. The results show that the fracture toughness parameters G0 (initiation) and Gs (saturation) have the strongest influence on the Paris parameter coefficients, while the maximum end-opening δ* plays a secondary role. Heat map-based analysis shows that larger differences between G0 and Gs lead to stronger bridging effects and more conservative fatigue curves. This framework provides valuable insight into data-driven calibration of bridging models and supports application-specific fatigue design strategies.