Effect of internal heating on delamination properties of deicing composite curved beams under four-point bending.

• The deicing composite curved beam specimens were prepared and tested at two different temperature environments by means of a four-point bending. • In the experiments, the delamination properties of specimens were compared and analyzed. • A three-dimensional finite element model was created and analyzed with cohesive elements at the interfaces of adjacent plies. • Simulation results matched the experimental results well, and the model can predict delamination positions. • Internal heating has a significant effect on the failure behavior of deicing composite curved beams. The deicing composite curved beams can easily experience delamination under internal heating, but fewer studies have been found so far. In this study, the effect of internal heating on the delamination properties of deicing composite curved beams under four-point bending was investigated experimentally and numerically. The composite curved beam specimens were prepared according to the ASTM D6415 standard. A heating circuit in a heating layer was designed to generate heat and tested in compliance with the standard. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model was established with cohesive elements for the interfaces of adjacent plies. In the experiments, the load–displacement curves, strain-load curves, and delamination properties of the curved beam specimens in two environments were compared and analyzed. The numerical results agreed well with the experimental data, and the FE model can predict the delamination precisely. The average curved beam failure load of internal heating was about 36% lower than the ones of other environments, and the internal heating can cause the position of delamination to change significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]