A novel analytical model to characterise the monotonic and cyclic contribution of fibre bridging during Mode I fatigue delamination in (C)FRPs

Fibre bridging is an important phenomenon influencing the mode I delamination growth behaviour in composite materials. Accurate modelling of this phenomenon is required in order to be able to account for its effects in damage tolerance evaluation of composite structures. Therefore, this study introduces a novel physical model to isolate and quantify the contribution of fibre bridging to Mode I fatigue delamination. The model distinguishes between monotonic and cyclic components of fibre bridging stress, capturing their individual effects on the strain energy release rate (SERR) in the Paris curve. The monotonic component, based on the Sørensen model, accounts for pre-cracking effects, while the cyclic component is derived by integrating a bridging stress function over the end-opening displacement, with both components modelled by empirical exponential relationships. The model has been validated against established methods such as the Yao model and specific extrapolation techniques, demonstrating improved accuracy in fitting the Paris curve, particularly in accounting for the monotonic influence in the shift of the SERR and the cyclic contribution to the curve slope. Importantly, the model requires only one quasi-static and one fatigue test, reducing the experimental workload. In conclusion, this method provides a more accurate characterisation of fibre bridging effects, making it a robust tool for fatigue delamination analysis. • Development of a physically based model to characterise the contribution of fibre bridging during Mode I fatigue delamination. • Distinction between monotonic and cyclic stress components of the bridging stress in Paris curves. • Modelling of the Paris curve at fibre bridging saturation or zero bridge conditions. • Reduction in experimental workload as a single fatigue test is required to effectively characterise the fibre bridging effect.