Comparative analysis of the performance of 2D and 3D progressive damage models (PDM) in characterizing crack propagation in FRP cylindrical tubes under torsional loading

To utilize fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) more economically, efficiently, and safely, the finite element method (FEM) is widely applied to predict their mechanical behavior. In the ABAQUS material library, the built-in two-dimensional progressive damage model (2D PDM) for continuum shell elements based on the 2D Hashin criterion has been extensively used. However, in certain cases, this 2D PDM fails to accurately predict the crack propagation during the damage process. To improve the accuracy of predictions regarding damage behaviour and crack propagation, this study presents an enhanced three-dimensional progressive damage model (3D PDM) for solid element based on 3D Hashin criterion within the ABAQUS/Explicit™ framework via a VUMAT subroutine. To this extent, torsional simulations of FRP cylindrical tubes are conducted using both PDMs, and a comparative analysis of the results reveals that the 2D PDM fails to produce reasonable crack propagation directions, whereas the 3D model generates cracks that are parallel to the fibre direction. This demonstrates that this enhanced 3D PDM can more accurately and reasonably predict crack propagation in FRP materials subjected to torsional loading, making it suitable for future simulations and resolving numerical issues in FRP material modeling.