The influence of different damage evolution laws on composite material strength prediction is investigated. Three damage evolution forms are constructed under identical damage initiation criteria. A unified energy constraint framework is established based on the fracture energy consistency principle. Linear softening, exponential softening, and instantaneous stiffness unloading models were developed. A UMAT subroutine was programmed. A three-dimensional progressive damage model of carbon fiber laminates was established in ABAQUS. The model was validated against tensile test results. The effects of fracture energy parameters, degradation factor and mesh size on strength prediction were systematically analyzed. The results show that fracture energy primarily controls the stiffness degradation rate in the post-peak softening stage. The exponential evolution model demonstrates superior peak prediction stability and numerical convergence compared to the linear model. The instantaneous stiffness unloading method underestimates structural load-bearing capacity. Mesh objectivity is essentially achieved after characteristic length introduction. Theoretical guidance is provided for progressive damage model selection in composite materials.