Reply To: Convergence of Composite Tensile Test Using ACP

[John Doyle]

I assume you are including stress stiffening effects with large deflection turned ON.  What does the force vs deflection curve look like at the point of convergence failure?  Are you losing stiffness resistence across the section?  If so, perhaps the nonconvergence is reflecting the onset of a physical instability.  In the physical test, how is the test specimen responding to the load at this point?  Is there any local damage (i.e. delamination, cracking and/or yielding) beginning to develop?  Also, perhaps the FEA element type is not sufficient to capture the local effects at the higher strains.  SOLSH190 might be better.