The effect of delamination in free vibration responses of adhesively bonded spar wingskin joints.

In this article, the effects of damage (delamination) on the structural vibration characteristics of spar wingskin joints (SWJs) made with curved laminated composites are investigated. Three dimensional finite element analysis is employed to evaluate the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes of the joint structure considered. Virtual elements are implemented in the delamination region to prevent inter element penetration. The effectiveness of the finite element analysis technique used is validated with available results. Additionally, the effects of various parameters such as delamination size, curvature effect (shallowness angle), laminate stacking sequence, overlap length, and material anisotropy (modular ratio) on the free vibration responses of the curved SWJ are analyzed in details. The present delamination modeling and simulated results could serve as guidelines in designing curved laminated composite joint structures with/without delaminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]