Predicting low-velocity impact damage on a stiffened composite panel

An intralaminar damage model, based on a continuum damage mechanics approach, is presented to model the damage mechanisms occurring in carbon fibre composite structures incorporating fibre tensile and compressive breakage, matrix tensile and compressive fracture, and shear failure. The damage model, together with interface elements for capturing interlaminar failure, is implemented in a finite element package and used in a detailed finite element model to simulate the response of a stiffened composite panel to low-velocity impact. Contact algorithms and friction between delaminated plies were included, to better simulate the impact event. Analyses were executed on a high performance computer (HPC) cluster to reduce the actual time required for this detailed numerical analysis. Numerical results relating to the various observed interlaminar damage mechanisms, delamination initiation and propagation, as well as the model’s ability to capture post-impact permanent indentation in the panel are discussed. Very good agreement was achieved with experimentally obtained data of energy absorbed and impactor force versus time. The extent of damage predicted around the impact site also corresponded well with the damage detected by non destructive evaluation of the tested panel.     

A Numerical/Experimental Study on the Impact and CAI Behaviour of Glass Reinforced Compsite Plates

This paper focuses on the development of an advance numerical model specifically for simulating low velocity impact events and related stiffness reduction on composite structures. The model is suitable for low cost thick composite structures like wind turbine blade and maritime vessels. The model consist of a combination of inter and intra laminar models. The intra-laminar model present a combination of Puck and Hashin failure theories for the evaluation of the fibre and matrix failure. The inter-laminar damage is instead simulated by Cohesive Zone Method based on energy approach. Basic material properties, easily measurable according to standardized tests, are required. The model has been used to simulate impact and compression after impact tests. Experimental tests have been carried out on thick E-Glass/Epoxy composite commonly used in the wind turbine industry. The clustering effect as well as the consequence of the impact energy have been experimentally tested. The accuracy of numerical model has been verified against experimental data showing a very good accuracy of the model.     

A Joint Numerical-Experimental Study on Impact Induced Intra-laminar and Inter-laminar Damage in Laminated Composites

The investigation of the mechanical response of fibre-reinforced composite laminates under impact loads can be very difficult due to the occurrence of simultaneous failure phenomena. Indeed, as a consequence of low velocity impacts, intra-laminar damages, like fibre and matrix cracking, and inter-laminar damages, such as delaminations, can take place simultaneously. These damage mechanisms can lead to significant reductions in strength and stability of the composite structure. In this paper a joint numerical-experimental study is proposed which, by means of non-destructive testing techniques (Ultra-sound and thermography) and non-linear explicit FEM analyses, aims to completely characterise the impact induced damage in composite laminates under low velocity impacts. Indeed the proposed numerical tool has been used to improve the understanding of the experimental data obtained by Non-Destructive Techniques. Applications on samples tested according to the AECMA (European Association of Aerospace Manufacturers) prEn6038 standard at three different impact energies are presented. The interaction between numerical and experimental investigation allowed to obtain an exhaustive insight on the different phases of the impact event considering the inter-laminar damage formation and evolution.     

缝合复合材料层板低速冲击损伤数值模拟

建立了缝合复合材料层板在低速冲击载荷下的渐进损伤分析模型。模型中采用空间杆单元模拟缝线的作用;采用三维实体单元模拟缝合层板,通过基于应变描述的Hashin准则,结合相应的材料性能退化方案模拟层板的损伤和演化;采用界面单元模拟层间界面,结合传统的应力失效判据和断裂力学中的应变能释放率准则判断分层的起始和扩展规律。通过对碳800环氧树脂复合材料（T800/5228）层板的数值仿真结果和试验结果相比较,验证了模型的正确性,同时讨论了不同冲击能量下缝合层板的损伤规律。研究结果表明：缝线能够有效地抑制层板的分层损伤扩展;相同冲击能量下缝合与未缝合层板的基体损伤和纤维损伤在厚度分布上相似,缝合层板的损伤都要小于未缝合层板。     

复合材料加筋板低速冲击损伤的数值模拟

建立了复合材料加筋板在横向低速冲击载荷作用下的渐进损伤有限元模型。该模型考虑了复合材料加筋板受低速冲击时的纤维断裂、基体开裂及分层脱粘等五种典型的损伤形式, 在层内采用应变描述的失效判据, 结合相应的材料性能退化方案, 通过编写VUMAT用户自定义子程序以实现相应损伤类型的判断和演化。在层间以及筋条与层板间加入界面元, 模拟层间区域的情况, 结合传统的应力失效判据和断裂力学中的能量释放率准则来判断分层损伤的起始和演化规律。通过对数值模拟结果与实验数据的比较, 验证了模型的合理性和有效性。同时探讨了不同位置、不同冲击能量以及含初始损伤(脱粘)等因素对复合材料加筋板低速冲击性能的影响。     

缝合泡沫夹层复合材料低速冲击数值模拟及实验

在ABAQUS分析平台中建立了缝合泡沫夹层复合材料在低速冲击下的动力学有限元模型,采用杆单元模拟缝线树脂柱的作用,基于Hashin破坏准则模拟层板面内损伤,通过各向同性硬化本构模型利用等效塑性变形模拟泡沫夹芯损伤演化。针对相同铺层的缝合和未缝合泡沫夹层结构,模拟了相同冲击能量下的低速冲击响应过程及面板、泡沫的损伤情况,数值结果与实验结果吻合较好,证明了该方法的有效性和准确性。研究结果表明,在低速冲击下,泡沫夹层结构引入缝线后虽然降低了泡沫缓冲吸能的作用,使得面板表面受到较大的冲击破坏,但增强了整体刚度,增大了面板抵抗弯曲变形的能力,减小了内部面板的损伤,使其在改善复合材料面板易分层缺陷的同时还依然拥有优良的面内性能。     

Design rules for composite sandwich wakeboards

Wakeboarding is a water sport born in the mid 1980s that derives from surfing and water skiing. The objective of this work is to understand the failure mechanism and evaluate the maximum hydroelastic loads during the slamming phenomena of the board used in this sport, in order to provide reliable design rules to follow during the design process. Wakeboards are usually built as a composite sandwich structure, with plastic foam core and CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastics) or GFRP (glass fibre reinforced plastics) faces. Several specimens were extracted from a real board and tested in three point bending to investigate the major failure mechanisms. These data are later used in a parametric full-scale SPH numerical model investigation of the water-entry event. The numerical results show that, due to the fluid–structure interaction, there is a maximum deformation that the board cannot overreach even for very high impact energies. This limits the maximum impact stresses reached during the water entry of wakeboards. From these numerical results, mathematical relations between design variables are drawn by using analytical formulas based on classical sandwich theory. As result of this research, practical guidelines (formulas, tables and graphs) on the effects of total mass, initial impact velocity, board curvature and core and face strength and thickness are outlined to give reliable design rules.     

Damage prediction in composite sandwich panels subjected to low-velocity impact

The paper illustrates the application of a finite element tool for simulating the structural and damage response of foam-based sandwich composites subjected to low-velocity impact. Onset and growth of typical damage modes occurring in the composite skins, such as fibre fracture, matrix cracking and delaminations, were simulated by the use of three-dimensional damage models (for intralaminar damage) and interfacial cohesive laws (for interlaminar damage). The nonlinear behaviour of the foam core was simulated by a crushable foam plasticity model. The FE results were compared with experimental data acquired by impact testing on sandwich panels consisting of carbon/epoxy facesheets bonded to a PVC foam. Good agreement was obtained between predictions and experiments in terms of force histories, force–displacement curves and dissipated energy. The proposed model was also capable of simulating correctly nature and size of impact damage, and of capturing the key features of individual delaminations at different depth locations.     

Numerical analysis of intralaminar failure mechanisms in composite structures. Part II: Applications

A three-dimensional continuum damage mechanics-based material model was implemented in an implicit Finite Element code to simulate the progressive intralaminar degradation of fibre reinforced laminates based on ply failure mechanisms. This paper presents some structural applications of the progressive failure model implemented. The focus is on the non-linear response of the shear failure mode and its interaction with other failure modes. Structural applications of the damage model show that the proposed model is able to reproduce failure loads and patterns observed experimentally.     

纤维金属层板低速冲击试验和数值仿真

为开展纤维金属层板（FML）低速冲击有限元数值仿真研究,改进了传统的连续损伤力学（CDM）模型,然后对FML落锤低速冲击试验进行数值仿真,并与实验结果进行对比验证。分别采用5.11 J 和10.33 J冲击能量对FML进行落锤低速冲击试验,得到冲击载荷、位移和能量时程曲线,分析FML的动态响应和失效模式。建立了考虑塑性应变、压缩刚度衰减特征和纤维拉伸断裂损伤的新CDM模型,描述S2-玻璃纤维/环氧树脂（S2-galss/epoxy）复合材料的损伤本构,并编写VUMAT子程序,通过ABAQUS/Explicit求解器对FML落锤冲击试验进行数值仿真。研究结果表明：低能量冲击条件下,FML背面主要为鼓包和裂纹等失效模式,位移峰值随冲击能量的提高而增加,冲击载荷峰值在穿透前也随冲击能量的提高而增加;采用改进的CDM模型描述FML中S2-galss/epoxy复合材料铺层后,有限元数值计算可以较好地预测FML低速冲击载荷下的动态响应;有限元数值仿真结果表明,FML中第2层复合材料铺层发生的纤维断裂损伤比第1层的更严重。     

低速冲击作用下碳纤维复合材料铺层板的损伤分析

建立了一个有效计算模型, 以分析碳纤维复合材料层合板在低速冲击作用下的层内和层间失效行为。针对铺层板的层内损伤, 在基于应变描述的Hashin 失效准则的基础上, 建立了单层板的逐渐累积损伤分析模型;针对铺层板的脱层损伤, 建立了各向同性脱层损伤模型, 通过结合传统的应力失效准则和断裂力学中的能量释放率准则定义了界面损伤演化规律, 并在潜在产生脱层的区域模拟为粘结接触, 并将脱层损伤模型作为界面的接触行为。该计算模型通过商用有限元软件ABAQUS/ Explicit 的用户子程序实现。使用该计算模型对碳纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料层合板在横向低速冲击作用下的损伤和变形行为进行预测分析。数值仿真的结果与试验结果进行了比较, 取得了满意的结果, 验证了该模型的正确性。      

Predicting low velocity impact damage and Compression-After-Impact (CAI) behaviour of composite laminates

Low-velocity impact damage can drastically reduce the residual strength of a composite structure even when the damage is barely visible. The ability to computationally predict the extent of damage and compression-after-impact (CAI) strength of a composite structure can potentially lead to the exploration of a larger design space without incurring significant time and cost penalties. A high-fidelity three-dimensional composite damage model, to predict both low-velocity impact damage and CAI strength of composite laminates, has been developed and implemented as a user material subroutine in the commercial finite element package, ABAQUS/Explicit. The intralaminar damage model component accounts for physically-based tensile and compressive failure mechanisms, of the fibres and matrix, when subjected to a three-dimensional stress state. Cohesive behaviour was employed to model the interlaminar failure between plies with a bi-linear traction–separation law for capturing damage onset and subsequent damage evolution. The virtual tests, set up in ABAQUS/Explicit, were executed in three steps, one to capture the impact damage, the second to stabilize the specimen by imposing new boundary conditions required for compression testing, and the third to predict the CAI strength. The observed intralaminar damage features, delamination damage area as well as residual strength are discussed. It is shown that the predicted results for impact damage and CAI strength correlated well with experimental testing without the need of model calibration which is often required with other damage models.     

复合材料连续损伤力学模型在螺栓接头渐进失效预测中的应用

提出考虑层合板面内(纤维和基体失效)和层间失效的复合材料连续损伤力学模型,对螺栓接头的渐进失效行为进行预测。基于Tsai-Wu强度准则,发展可以判定复合材料面内和层间失效的强度准则。采用幂指数衰减材料退化模型模拟复合材料的损伤扩展过程。建立连续损伤力学模型用以研究0°铺层比例和螺栓直径对复合材料螺栓接头挤压性能的影响,预测结果与实验结果吻合。结果表明:0°铺层比例过高,接头发生剪切破坏,降低连接结构承载能力;增大螺栓直径,层合板损伤受到抑制,可提高复合材料螺栓接头的挤压强度。      

Acoustic emission analysis of composite pressure vessels under constant and cyclic pressure

The use of acoustic emission (AE) for the detection of damage in carbon fibre composite pressure vessels was evaluated for constant and cyclic internal gas pressure loading conditions. AE was capable of monitoring the initiation and accumulation of damage events in a composite pressure vessel (CPVs), although it was not possible to reliably distinguish carbon fibre breakage from other microscopic damage events (e.g. matrix cracks, fibre/matrix interfacial cracks). AE tests performed on the carbon fibre laminate used as the skin of pressure vessels revealed that the development of damage is highly variable under constant pressure, with large differences in the rupture life and acoustic emission events at final failure. Numerical analysis of the skin laminate under constant tensile stress revealed that the high variability in the stress rupture life is due mainly to the stochastic behaviour of the carbon fibre rupture process.     

Modelling the simulation of impact induced damage onset and evolution in composites

This paper presents two modelling strategies for the simulation of low velocity impact induced damage onset and evolution in composite plates. Both the strategies use a global–local technique to refine the mesh in the impact zone in order to increase the accuracy in predicting the impact phenomena without affecting the computational cost. Cohesive elements are used to simulate the inter-lamina damage behaviour (delaminations) and Hashin’s failure criteria are adopted to predict the intra-lamina failure mechanisms. The two modelling strategies differ in terms of input parameters for the inter-lamina and intra-lamina damage evolution laws and in terms of modelling solutions in the impacted area. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results on composite plates subjected to different impact energies, according to the ASTM D7136 requirements, have been used to assess the peculiarities and the fields of application for the two proposed modelling strategies. Both the strategies have been tested by adopting the finite element code ABAQUS®. The different approaches to set the parameters of cohesive elements’ constitutive laws and Hashin’s criteria and the different choices made in quantifying the dependence of failure criteria on the finite elements’ average size have been taken into account.     

复合材料机翼格栅结构低速冲击损伤仿真研究

针对采用格栅结构的某无人机机翼, 研究了机翼格栅结构在承受低速冲击下结构材料的损伤特性; 在ABAQUS软件中建立了冲击损伤过程有限元模型, 采用Hashin-Rotem应变失效准则和Camanho参数退化方式, 对无穿透破坏前提下的单侧带蒙皮格栅结构进行了冲击仿真实验。研究了针对不同格栅结构构型、 不同冲击位置、 不同冲击能量等情况下的损伤特性。结果表明: 对结构不同位置进行冲击时, 结构损伤类型、 面积、 扩展特性等都有极大的不同, 而且复合材料结构不同铺层的损伤特性也有很大差异; 验证了格栅结构对损伤扩散具有良好的限制能力, 表明格栅结构具有很好的抗损伤能力。     

Numerical analysis of intralaminar failure mechanisms in composite structures. Part I: FE implementation

This paper presents a three-dimensional continuum damage mechanics-based material model which was implemented in an implicit finite element code to simulate the progressive intralaminar degradation of fibre reinforced laminates. The damage model is based on ply failure mechanisms and uses seven damage variables assigned to tensile, compressive and shear damage at a ply level. Non-linear behaviour and irreversibility were taken into account and modelled. Some issues on the numerical implementation of the damage model are discussed and solutions proposed. Applications of the methodology are presented in Part II [1].     

Three-dimensional assessment of low velocity impact damage in particle toughened composite laminates using micro-focus X-ray computed tomography and synchrotron radiation laminography

Results are presented studying the contribution of particle toughening to impact damage resistance in carbon fibre reinforced polymer materials. Micro-focus X-ray computed tomography and synchrotron radiation computed laminography were used to provide a novel, multiscale approach for assessing impact damage. Thin (1 mm thick) composite plates containing either untoughened or particle-toughened resin systems were subjected to low velocity impact. Damage was assessed three-dimensionally at voxel resolutions of 0.7 μm and 4.3 μm using SRCL and μCT respectively; the former being an innovative approach to the laterally extended geometry of CFRP plates. Observations and measurements taken from μCT scans captured the full extent of impact damage on both material systems revealing an interconnected network of intra- and inter-laminar cracks. These lower resolution images reveal that the particle-toughened system suppresses delaminations with little effect on intralaminar damage. The higher resolution images reveal that the particles contribute to toughening by crack deflection and bridging.     

Nonlinear response in glass fibre non-crimp fabric reinforced vinylester composites

This paper addresses the nonlinear stress-strain response in glass fibre non-crimp fabric reinforced vinylester composite laminates subjected to in-plane tensile loading. The nonlinearity is shown to be a combination of brittle and plastic failure. It is argued that the shift from plastic to brittle behaviour in the vinylester is caused by the state of stress triaxiality caused by the interaction between fibre and vinylester. A model combining damage and plasticity is calibrated and evaluated using data from extensive experimental testing. The onset of damage is predicted using the Puck failure criterion, and the evolution of damage is calibrated from the observed softening in plies loaded in transverse tension. Shear loading beyond linear elastic response is observed to result in irreversible strains. A yield criterion is implemented for shear deformation. A strain hardening law is fitted to the stress-strain response observed in shear loaded plies. Experimental results from a selection of laminates with different layups are used to verify the numerical models. A complete set of model parameters for predicting elastic behaviour, strength and post failure softening is presented for glass fibre non-crimped fabric reinforced vinylester. The predicted behaviour from using these model parameters are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results.