Analysis of composite laminates with imperfect bonding conditions

A multidomain boundary integral formulation for the analysis of composite laminates withimperfect interlaminar interfaces is presented. An imperfect interface refers to a zero-thickness interfaciallayer across which displacement discontinuity may occur while interlaminar tractions must remaincontinuous. The displacement discontinuity is considered through a spring model in order to model theadhesive layer among two adjacent laminae. No auxiliary elements are needed to implement the imperfectinterface since the spring coefficients, characterizing the different bonding interface conditions, are takeninto account inside the assembled influence matrices. To assess the reliability and the effectiveness of themodel some numerical analyses have been carried out on the bending response of composite laminates withdifferent interface bonding conditions. A symmetric cross ply laminate has also been analyzed and theeffects of a weak interface on the peel stresses have been pointed out