Simulation of delaminations in composite laminates

Lamb waves propagation in composite materials has been studied extensively since it was first observed in 1982. In this paper, we show a procedure to simulate the propagation of Lamb waves in composite laminates using a two-dimensional model in ANSYS. This is done by simulating the Lamb waves propagating along the plane of the structure in the form of a time dependent force excitation. In this paper, an 8-layered carbon reinforced fibre plastic (CRFP) is modelled as transversely isotropic and dissipative medium and the effect of flaws is analyzed with respect to the defects induced between various layers of the composite laminate. This effort is the basis for the future development of a 3D model for similar applications.