Inspect pre-solved models in your browser in 2 seconds (up to 300k DOF) or solve 1.5M+ DOF assemblies 100% offline on Windows and macOS.
Double Cantilever Beam (DCB): Bilinear Cohesive Zone (CZM) Delamination & Mode I Crack Peeling
Standard ASTM D5528 Double Cantilever Beam composite/adhesive peel test modeled via bilinear traction-separation cohesive zone elements (CZM) with progressive stiffness degradation and Mode I stress intensity evaluation.
Composite laminates and bonded aerospace joints are susceptible to interlaminar delamination under peel forces. The ASTM D5528 Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) test is the industry standard for determining Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness G_Ic. This model simulates two 3 mm adherend arms (length 120 mm, width 20 mm) with a 35 mm initial non-adhesive pre-crack. Under opposing ±150 N tip forces, WebCAE's bilinear cohesive contact interface tracks damage accumulation from pristine contact (D = 0) to complete debonding (D = 1.0).
1. Geometry & FEA Mesh
- •3D B-Rep multi-body assembly (`dcb_upper_arm.step` and `dcb_lower_arm.step`, 120 × 20 × 6 mm total).
- •1,583 TET4 elements across both cantilever arms, 658 nodes.
- •Adherend material: E = 70 GPa, ν = 0.33, ρ = 2,700 kg/m³; Cohesive interface: normal stiffness K_n = 100 GPa/m, tangential stiffness K_t = 50 GPa/m, peak normal traction t_n = 30 MPa, fracture energy G_Ic = 450 J/m².
2. Loads & Boundary Conditions
- •Cantilever root faces rigidly fixed (`fix surface number 28 and surface number 60`, x = 120 mm).
- •Opposing vertical peel forces applied at the free arm tips (`F_z = +150 N` on upper arm, `F_z = -150 N` on lower arm at x = 0 mm).
- •Cohesive contact bonded between interface faces (`contact cohesive master="surface number 64" slave="surface number 33"`) with crack front monitoring at `edge number 48`.
3. Simulation Results & Findings
- ✓Full crack opening of 2 u_z = 1.36 mm achieved at the loading pins, with maximum tip displacement |u|_max = 0.68 mm per arm.
- ✓Crack-front edge elements reach full CZM damage D = 1.0 with a peak normal opening displacement of 0.282 mm.
- ✓Mode I stress intensity factor reaches K_I = 64.99 MPa√m with path-independent J-integral of 53.77 kJ/m² and peak arm bending stress of 175.0 MPa.
WebCAE's cohesive zone modeling (CZM) enables aerospace composites engineers to predict adhesive joint delamination growth, peel failure envelopes, and peel arrest without empirical safety margins.
14 days of full Pro access. The first charge occurs only after 14 days unless canceled beforehand.
- ✓14-Day Trial ($0 Today) (cancel anytime)
- ✓Up to 1.5M+ DOFs (direct sparse solver)
- ✓Native Windows & macOS Apps (100% offline)
- ✓Nonlinear Contact & Buckling (Kσ, MITC4, RBE2/RBE3)
Ask an Engineer About Your Model
Describe your part, load case, or CAD format — we reply within 2 business hours.
Want an instant answer on FEA theory or this model?
Click the AI chat button in the bottom-right corner to ask about boundary conditions, stress criteria, mesh convergence, or DSL scripting.
More Engineering Simulation Cases
Curved CFRP Composite Wing-Spar L-Bracket (3D Orthotropy & Surface Coordinate Projection)
Titanium Tension Lug with Central Hole: ZZ Adaptive h-Refinement & P1→P2 Cut-Boundary Submodeling (TET10)
Post-Buckling of Stringer-Stiffened Cylindrical Shell with Koiter Eigenmode Imperfection (Arc-Length)
