Assessment of mesh dependency in the numerical simulation of compact tension tests for orthotropic materials

This paper presents a numerical study on the mesh dependency of the Hashin Damage Model for 2D finite element simulations of orthotropic materials. The main objective is to study and assess the efficiency of energy regularization in preventing mesh dependency in orthotropic damage models. Initially, the thermodynamic laws used to validate a damage model are presented and applied to the specific Hashin damage model. An extensive parametric study is performed using various types of finite elements: with structured and squared-structured meshes; with linear and quadratic approximations; and with full and reduced integration schemes. To verify the mesh dependency, the results of a compact tension experimental test of glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) material are compared to the numerical results; some conclusions are drawn regarding the force vs. displacement behaviour, with and without regular meshes.