Crack growth analysis of graphene nanoplatelet reinforced polymer composites using XFEM

The present study uses the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) to model and to predict the crack propagation behavior in graphene nanoplatelet reinforced polymer composite (GNPRC) plate. The effective elastic properties of the GNPRC such as elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio are determined using Modified Halphin-Tsai Model and Rule of mixture, respectively. The numerical framework employs four-noded quadrilateral elements, level set functions for crack tracking. The enrichment function is used to capture both displacement discontinuities and crack tip singularities. Stress intensity factors are calculated using the interaction integral method, and crack growth is modeled based on Paris’ law. The fracture energy and fracture toughness used in the simulations are adopted from experimental data reported in previous studies. An in-house MATLAB code was developed to implement the XFEM framework, and SIF was validated against published results for carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites. Parametric analyses are performed on edge and center cracked plates under various loading conditions, considering different graphene nanoplatelet weight fractions. It is observed that higher graphene nanoplatelet concentrations improve both fracture energy and toughness, resulting in extended crack propagation paths and enhanced resistance to failure.