An energy based damage mechanics approach to modelling impact onto woven composite materials: Part II. Experimental and numerical results

Laminated composites have found an increasing use in many industries, particularly in transport, e.g. in the design of aircraft, helicopters, boats, cars, etc. Many of these composite components are fabricated from woven carbon based materials, which are more drapeable than conventional uni-directional (UD) composites, but generally have less stiffness and strength. To accurately design such components or structures to withstand severe external loadings, such as high velocity impact or a crash event, is conceptually a difficult task for the composite designer. Unlike metallic components, which can yield and dissipate energy via plasticity, composites can only dissipate energy by different damage or fracturing processes, which usually degrade the stiffness of the structural component.This paper presents the application of the energy based damage model, previously described [Iannucci L, Willows M. An energy based damage mechanics approach to modelling impact onto woven composite materials: Part I Numerical model, Composites A, in press, doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2005.12.013], suitable for modelling the progressive failure of woven carbon composites under high strain loading. The approach is based on a damage mechanics methodology, and has been implemented into the explicit dynamic DYNA3D code for plane stress shell elements. An interface modelling strategy is also presented to determine the corresponding maximum delamination envelope during a dynamic simulation.The form of the stress–strain–damage curve for woven carbon and the relevance of experimentally measured material damage constants are discussed. The simulation results are compared to three CRAG impact experimental tests at three distinct energy levels. A detailed parameter study is performed on the magnitude of the intralaminar energy release rate used to propagate the damage in woven carbon composites. Conclusions are drawn on the assumed form of the damage evolution curve, and its applicability to stochastic modelling techniques.     

Shear mechanism modelling of heavy tow braided composites using a meso-mechanical damage model

Heavy tow braid reinforced composites are a potential substitute for metals in automotive and other transport applications. These composites, if properly designed, can provide lightweight efficient load bearing structural members that can also absorb high specific energy under impact and crash loading. Many of these components are ‘beam like’ members that must resist large transverse deformations at high force levels, thereby absorbing high levels of energy. This class of composite component is particularly considered in this paper.An effective means to achieve high energy absorption is careful design of the fabric architecture so that shearing mechanisms of the fibre/matrix interface, without premature fibre failure, are possible. Characterisation and modelling of progressive shear damage and failure occurring in biaxial carbon and glass braided composites are investigated. Fibre re-orientation and fibre/matrix interface damage is measured using an optical strain measuring method based on digital image correlation (DIC). This is then used to provide input to a meso-mechanical damage model in an explicit finite element code. A modelling approach using coupled layers of equivalent unidirectional plies is used to represent the biaxial braid composite and validation of the approach has been performed against test coupons and beam structures loaded transversally to failure.     

Lightweight design and crash analysis of composite frontal impact energy absorbing structures

Carbon fibre composites have shown to be able to perform extremely well in the case of a crash and are being used to manufacture dedicated energy-absorbing components, both in the motor sport world and in constructions of aerospace engineering. While in metallic structures the energy absorption is achieved by plastic deformation, in composite ones it relies on the material diffuse fracture. The design of composite parts should provide stable, regular and controlled dissipation of kinetic energy in order to keep the deceleration level as least as possible. That is possible only after detailed analytical, experimental and numerical analysis of the structural crashworthiness.This paper is presenting the steps to follow in order to design specific lightweight impact attenuators. Only after having characterised the composite material to use, it is possible to model and realise simple CFRP tubular structures through mathematical formulation and explicit FE code LS-DYNA. Also, experimental dynamic tests are performed by use of a drop weight test machine.Achieving a good agreement of the results in previously mentioned analyses, follows to the design of impact attenuator with a more complex geometry, as a composite nose cone of the Formula SAE racing car. In particular, the quasi-static test is performed and reported together with numerical simulation of dynamic stroke. In order to initialize the collapse in a stable way, the design of the composite impact attenuator has been completed with a trigger which is consisted of a very simple smoothing (progressive reduction) of the wall thickness. Initial requirements were set in accordance with the 2008 Formula SAE rules and they were satisfied with the final configuration both in experimental and numerical crash analysis.     

Experimental testing and phenomenological modelling of the fragmentation process of braided carbon/epoxy composite tubes under axial and oblique impact

A new simulation technique is presented for the phenomenological modelling of stable fragmentation in fibre reinforced composite structures under dynamic compressive loading. An explicit crash code is used for implementation of a hybrid modelling technique, in which two distinct material models act simultaneously. The first model is implemented in a multi-layered shell element and uses a unidirectional composites fracture criterion to predict potential ply fracture mechanisms on a macroscopic scale. This model is, however, unable to represent the complex localised fracture mechanisms that occur on a meso (sub-ply) scale under compression fragmentation loading. Therefore, a second constitutive model is added to capture the energy absorbing process within the fragmentation zone, utilising an Energy Absorbing Contact (EAC) formulation between the composite structure and the impacting body. The essential benefits of the procedure are that it requires minimal input data that can be obtained from simple fragmentation tests, and that the procedure is computationally efficient enabling application to large scale industrial structures. The EAC theory is discussed, together with the required material model parameters. A series of dynamic axial and oblique impact tests and simulations of cylindrical continuous carbon fibre reinforced composite tubes have been performed to validate the approach. Furthermore, the application to more complex load cases including combinations of fragmentation and global structural fracture have also shown a good correlation with test results.     

Numerical simulation of impact tests on GFRP composite laminates

The design of advanced composite structures or components subjected to dynamic loadings requires a deep understanding of the damage and degradation mechanisms occurring within the composite material. The present paper deals with the numerical simulation of low-velocity impact tests on glass fabric/epoxy laminates through the LS-DYNA Finite Element (FE) code. Two laminates of different thickness were subjected to transverse impact at different energy levels and modeled by FE. Solid finite elements combined with orthotropic failure criteria were used to model the composite failure and stress based contact failure between plies were adopted to model the delamination mechanism. The final simulation results showed a good correlation with experimental data in terms of both force–displacement curves and material damage.     

Progressive crushing of fiber-reinforced composite structural components of a Formula One racing car

The present paper describes an experimental and numerical investigation on energy absorbers for Formula One side impact and steering column impact. The crash tests are performed measuring the load-shortening diagram and the energy absorbed by the structure. A finite element model is then developed using the non-linear, explicit dynamic code LS-DYNA. To set up the numerical model, tubes crushing testing are conducted to determine the material failure modes and to characterise them with LS-DYNA. The results presented in this study show that the composite structural components of the investigated Formula One racing car possess high value of specific absorbed energy and crash load efficiency around 1.1. The finite element simulations accurately predict the overall shape, magnitude and pulse duration in all the types of impact as well as the deformation and failure of the structures. Comparing the numerical data of the specific absorbed energy to the experimental results, the differences are around 10%.     

Transverse impact damage and energy absorption of 3-D multi-structured knitted composite

Knitted composites have higher failure deformation and energy absorption capacity under impact than other textile structural composites because of the yarn loop structures in knitted performs. Here we report the transverse impact behavior of a new kind of 3-D multi-structured knitted composite both in experimental and finite element simulation. The knitted composite is composed of two knitted fabrics: biaxial warp knitted fabric and interlock knitted fabric. The transverse impact behaviors of the 3-D knitted composite were tested with a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus. The load–displacement curves and damage morphologies were obtained to analyze the energy absorptions and impact damage mechanisms of the composite under different impact velocities. A unit-cell model based on the microstructure of the 3-D knitted composite was established to determine the composite deformation and damage when the composite impacted by a hemisphere-ended steel rod. Incorporated with the unit-cell model, a elasto-plastic constitute equation of the 3-D knitted composite and the critical damage area (CDA) failure theory of composites have been implemented as a vectorized user defined material law (VUMAT) for ABAQUS/Explicit. The load–displacement curves, impact deformations and damages obtained from FEM are compared with those in experimental. The good agreements of the comparisons prove the validity of the unit-cell model and user-defined subroutine VUMAT. This manifests the applicability of the VUMAT to characterization and design of the 3-D multi-structured knitted composite structures under other impulsive loading conditions.     

A Unit‐Cell Approach of Finite Element Analysis for Transverse Impact Damage of 3‐D Biaxial Spacer Weft‐Knitted Composite

Abstract: This paper evaluates the transverse impact damage of a 3‐D biaxial spacer weft‐knitted composite using experimental results and complimentary finite element analysis. The load–displacement curves and damage morphologies during impact loading were obtained to analyse energy absorption and impact damage mechanisms of the knitted composite. A unit‐cell model based on the microstructure of the 3‐D knitted composite was established to calculate the deformation and damage evolution when the composite is impacted by a hemisphere‐ended steel rod. An elastoplastic constitutive equation is incorporated into the unit‐cell model and the critical damage area failure theory developed by Hahn and Tsai has been implemented as a user‐defined material law (VUMAT) for commercial available finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit. The load–displacement curves, impact damages and impact energy absorption obtained from ABAQUS/Explicit are compared with those FROM experiments. The good agreement of the comparisons supports the validity of the unit‐cell model and user‐defined subroutine VUMAT. The unit‐cell model can also be extended to evaluate the impact crashworthiness of engineering structures made out of the 3‐D knitted composites.     

Hybrid S2/Carbon Epoxy Composite Armours Under Blast Loads

Civil and military structures, such as helicopters, aircrafts, naval ships, tanks or buildings are susceptible to blast loads as terroristic attacks increases, therefore there is the need to design blast resistant structures. During an explosion the peak pressure produced by shock wave is much greater than the static collapse pressure. Metallic structures usually undergo large plastic deformations absorbing blast energy before reaching equilibrium. Due to their high specific properties, fibre-reinforced polymers are being considered for energy absorption applications in blast resistant armours. A deep insight into the relationship between explosion loads, composite architecture and deformation/fracture behaviour will offer the possibility to design structures with significantly enhanced energy absorption and blast resistance performance. This study presents the results of a numerical investigation aimed at understanding the performance of a hybrid composite (glass/carbon fibre) plate subjected to blast loads using commercial LS-DYNA software. In particular, the paper deals with numerical 3D simulations of damages caused by air blast waves generated by C4 charges on two fully clamped rectangular plates made of steel and hybrid (S2/Carbon) composite, respectively. A Multi Materials Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (MMALE) formulation was used to simulate the shock phenomenon. For the steel plates, the Johnson-Cook material model was employed. For the composite plates both in-plane and out-of-plane failure criteria were employed. In particular, a contact tiebreak formulation with a mixed mode failure criteria was employed to simulate delamination failure. As for the steel plates the results showed that excellent correlation with the experimental data for the two blast load conditions in terms of dynamic and residual deflection for two different C4 charges. For the composite plates the numerical results showed that, as expected, a wider delamination damage was observed for the higher blast loads case. Widespread tensile matrix damage was experienced for both blast load cases, while only for 875?g blast load fiber failure damage was observed. This agrees well with the experimental data showing that the composite panel was not able to resist to the 875?g blast load.     

玻璃纤维/树脂复合材料缠绕空心玻璃微珠/树脂实芯球形结构单元耐撞能量耗散机制

提出并设计了一种新型的玻璃纤维/树脂复合材料缠绕空心玻璃微珠/树脂实芯球形结构单元。为探讨其在低速大质量冲击载荷作用下的约束损伤演变特征和耐撞能量耗散机制,通过ABAQUS建立该结构单元的数值分析模型并开展了低速大质量冲击试验研究。数值模拟与试验结果对比分析表明,该结构单元耐撞性设计的关键在于表层与内部球形浮力芯材的泊松比匹配性设计。内部球形浮力芯材在环向泊松较低表层约束应力的控制下发生平稳的塑性压缩损伤和剪切断裂破坏,表层在内部球形芯材横向膨胀效应的作用下发生渐进式环向拉伸断裂破坏,呈现花瓣形损伤破坏特征。结果表明,该新型结构单元不仅具有优异的耐撞能量耗散特性,同时能为水下结构平台提供一定的储备浮力。     

Finite element modelling of the progressive crushing of braided composite tubes under axial impact

Composite tubular structures are of interest as viable energy absorbing components in vehicular front rail structures to improve crashworthiness. Desirable tools in designing such structures are models capable of simulating damage growth in composite materials. Our model (CODAM for COmposite DAMage), which is a continuum damage mechanics based model for composite materials with physically based inputs, has shown promise in predicting damage evolution and failure in composites. In this study, the model is used to simulate the damage propagation, failure morphology and energy absorption in triaxially braided composite tubes under axial compression. The model parameters are based on results from standard and specialized material testing and a crack band scaling law is used to minimize mesh sensitivity (or lack of objectivity) of the numerical results. Axial crushing of two-ply and four-ply square tubes with and without the presence of an external plug initiator are simulated in LS-DYNA. Refinements over previous attempts by the authors include the addition of a pre-defined debris wedge, a distinguishing feature in tubes displaying a splaying mode of failure, and representation of delamination using a tiebreak contact interface that allows energy absorption through the un-tying process. It is shown that the model adequately predicts the failure characteristics and energy absorption of the crushing events. Using numerical simulations, the process of damage progression is investigated in detail and energy absorptions in different damage mechanisms are presented quantitatively.     

复合材料厚壁圆筒的损伤问题

基于连续介质损伤力学理论,引入表征材料内部微细缺陷的损伤变量,导出了三维复合材料厚壁圆筒的损伤模型,预测该结构内各处的损伤过程;针对不同损伤模式,推导出包含不同结合力和损伤变量的损伤扩展准则;利用三维有限元分析软件模拟计算出结构损伤破坏的全过程,分析了复合材料圆筒的损伤模式与破坏机理,以及能量变化关系。     

织物弹道贯穿性能分析计算

纤维织物增强复合材料由于轻质和高冲击损伤容限而在防弹装甲设计及制造中逐渐得到应用,如人体防弹衣和车辆防护装甲。但是尚无较好的方法直接计算复合材料防弹特性,其中困难在于复合材料弹道冲击过程中的应变率效应和冲击破坏机理至今没有被揭示。解决问题的第一步是建立复合材料增强相(即织物)防弹特性计算方法。提出基于纤维力学性质应变率效应的织物弹道冲击破坏分析模型,计算不同面密度织物靶体在弹道贯穿过程中的弹体剩余速度,由此反映靶体防弹特性。用本文中提出的简单算法预测的结果与实测结果在靶体厚度不大时极为接近,而且也有可能将其扩展到纤维织物增强复合材料防弹性质的计算。     

A numerical study on the impact resistance of composite shells using an energy based failure model

This paper presents a numerical study on the impact resistance of composite shells laminates using an energy based failure model. The damage model formulation is based on a methodology that combines stress based, continuum damage mechanics (CDM) and fracture mechanics approaches within a unified procedure by using a smeared cracking formulation. The damage model has been implemented as a user-defined material model in ABAQUS FE code within shell elements. Experimental results obtained from previous works were used to validate the damage model. Finite element models were developed in order to investigate the pressure and curvature effects on the impact response of laminated composite shells.     

Design of Cellular Composite Sandwich Panels for Maximum Blast Resistance Via Energy Absorption

This paper presents a design methodology for optimizing the energy absorption under blast loads of cellular composite sandwich panels. A combination of dynamic finite element analysis (FEA) and simplified analytical modeling techniques are used. The analytical modeling calculates both the loading effects and structural response resulting from user-input charge sizes and standoff distances and offers the advantage of expediting iterative design processes. The FEA and the analytical model results are compared and contrasted then used to compare the energy response of various cellular composite sandwich panels under blast loads, where various core shapes and dimensions are the focus. As a result, it is concluded that the optimum shape consists of vertically-oriented webs while the optimum dimensions can be generally described as those which cause the most inelasticity without failure of the webs. These dimensions are also specifically quantified for select situations. This guidance is employed, along with the analytical method developed by the authors and considerations of the influences of material properties, to suggest a general design procedure that is a simple yet sufficiently accurate method for design. The suggested design approach is also demonstrated through a design example.     

Robust Empirical Predictions of Residual Performance of Damaged Composites with Quantified Uncertainties

Robust predictions with estimated uncertainties were made for the residual strength of impact-damaged composite laminates based on simple non-destructive measurements of the size of the damage from ultrasound C-scans. Experimental data was acquired for two sets of composite coupons, one with a crossply and the other with a quasi-isotropic layup. The laminates were subject to drop-weight impacts, non-destructively evaluated using ultrasound and then loaded to failure in bending. An empirical model of the residual strength of each laminate layup, as a function of the ultrasound measurements, was generated by fitting a Bayesian linear regression model to the normalised measured data. Bayesian linear regression was demonstrated to provide conservative estimates when only minimal data is available. Unlike classical regression, this technique provides a robust treatment of outliers, which avoids underestimation of residual strength. The Leave-One-Out-Cross-Validation (LOOCV) metric was used to assess the performance of models allowing for the quantitative comparison of the predictive power of regression models as well as being consistent in the presence of outliers in the data. The LOOCV metric indicated that predictions of residual strength are up to 25% more accurate when based on damage area than when using measurements of the damage width or length. The proposed approach provides a robust methodology for performing damage assessments in safety critical composite components based on reliable predictions with quantified uncertainties.     

Modelling Strategies for Simulating Delamination and Matrix Cracking in Composite Laminates

The composite materials are nowadays widely used in aeronautical domain. These materials are subjected to different types of loading that can damage a part of the structure. This diminishes the resistance of the structure to failure. In this paper, matrix cracking and delamination propagation in composite laminates are simulated as a part of damage. Two different computational strategies are developed: (i) a cohesive model (CM) based on the classical continuum mechanics and (ii) a continuous damage material model (CDM) coupling failure modes and damage. Another mixed methodology (MM) is proposed using the continuous damage model for delamination initiation and the cohesive model for 3D crack propagation and mesh openings. A good agreement was obtained when compared simple characterization tests and corresponding simulations.     

Detecting barely visible impact damage detection on aircraft composites structures

Composites have many advantages as aircraft structural materials and for this reason their use is becoming increasingly widespread. Fragility of composite material to impact loading limits their application in aircraft structures. In particular, low velocity impacts can cause a significant amount of delamination, even though the only external indication of damage may be a very small surface indentation. This type of damage is often referred to as barely visible impact damage (BVID), and it can cause significant degradation of structural properties. If the damaged laminate is subjected to high compressive loading, buckling failure may occur. Therefore, there is the need to develop improved and more efficient means of detecting such damage. In this work a new NDT approach is presented, based on the monitoring of the nonlinear elastic material behaviour of damaged material. Two methods were investigated: a single-mode nonlinear resonance ultrasound (NRUS) and a nonlinear wave modulation spectroscopy (NWMS). The developed methods were tested on different composite plates with unknown mechanical properties and damage size and magnitude.The presence of the nonlinearities introduced by the damage was clearly identified using both techniques. The results showed that the proposed methodology appear to be highly sensitive to the presence of damage with very promising future applications.     

An automated finite element analysis of the initiation and growth of damage in carbonfibre composite materials

The analysis and prediction of the development of damage in composite materials up to the point of final failure is important in the assessment of whether composite structures and components are fit for their purpose. Progressive damage modelling, using finite element analysis, has demonstrable potential as a tool for this.

If this approach is to be of real value, it needs to be automated so that the application of specialist knowledge is minimized. The ABAQUS finite element (FE) code has been used to develop fully-automated, threedimensional modelling of damage development in carbon fibre composites under tensile loading.

This paper describes the approach used in the development of these models. It covers work on the development of suitable FE meshes, the identification of suitable criteria to control the onset and effects of local damage, and the extension of the methodology to real component geometries.