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.     

Compressive failure of laminates containing an embedded wrinkle; experimental and numerical study

An experimental and numerical study has been carried out to understand and predict the compressive failure performance of quasi-isotropic carbon–epoxy laminates with out-of-plane wrinkle defects. Test coupons with artificially induced fibre-wrinkling of varied severity were manufactured and tested. The wrinkles were seen to significantly reduce the pristine compressive strength of the laminates. High-speed video of the gauge section was taken during the test, which showed extensive damage localisation in the wrinkle region. 3D finite element (FE) simulations were carried out in Abaqus/Explicit with continuum damage and cohesive zone models incorporated to predict failure. The FE analyses captured the locations of damage and failure stress levels very well for a range of different wrinkle configurations. At lower wrinkle severities, the analyses predicted a failure mode of compressive fibre-failure, which changed to delamination at higher wrinkle angles. This was confirmed by the tests.     

Damage tolerance of impacted curved panels

The final aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of impact damage on the residual strength of carbon/epoxy vessels stressed by internal pressure. An intermediate stage determined the residual behaviour of pre-impacted curved panels loaded in tension. Curved panels were impacted, reproducing the damage types observed in impacted vessels filled with propellant. Delamination damage was assessed by ultrasonics and optical microscopy used to observe intra-laminar mechanisms. Tension after impact (TAI) tests quantified the residual behaviour. An experimental design was used as an alternative to the complex analytical modelling of dynamic damage mechanisms. With this original technique, empirical relationships were established, linking impact parameters to residual properties. The force to failure was found to vary in a bi-linear manner with impact energy. Below a specific level of impact energy corresponding to failure in 4/7 of the plies, there is no significant reduction in the residual strength. The composite Young's modulus decreased linearly with impact energy.     

Failure mechanisms on composite specimens subjected to compression after impact

Composite panels are widely used in aeronautic and aerospace structures due to their high strength/weight ratio. The stiffness and the strength in the thickness direction of laminated composite panels is poor since no fibres are present in that direction and out-of-plane impact loading is considered potentially dangerous, mainly because the damage may be left undetected. Impact loading in composite panels leads to damage with matrix cracking, inter-laminar failure and eventually fibre breakage for higher impact energies. Even when no visible impact damage is observed at the surface on the point of impact, matrix cracking and inter-laminar failure can occur, and the carrying load of the composite laminates is considerably reduced. The greatest reduction in loading is observed in compression due to laminae buckling in the delaminated areas. The objective of this study is to determine the mechanisms of the damage growth of impacted composite laminates when subjected to compression after impact loading. For this purpose a series of impact and compression after impact tests were carried out on composite laminates made of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin matrix. An instrumented drop-weight-testing machine and modified compression after impact testing equipment were used together with a C-scan ultrasonic device for the damage identification. Four stacking sequences of two different epoxy resins in carbon fibres representative of four different elastic behaviours and with a different number of interfaces were used. Results showed that the delaminated area due to impact loading depends on the number of interfaces between plies. Two buckling failure mechanisms were identified during compression after impact, which are influenced more by the delamination area than by the stacking sequence.     

Impact damage resistance of CFRP with nanoclay-filled epoxy matrix

The influence of nanoclay on the impact damage resistance of carbon fibre–epoxy composites has been investigated using the low-velocity impact and compression after impact (CAI) tests. The load–energy vs. time relations were analyzed to gain insight into the damage behaviours of the materials. The CFRPs containing organoclay brought about significant improvement in impact damage resistance and damage tolerance in the form of smaller damage area, higher residual strength and higher threshold energy level. The presence of nanoclay in the epoxy matrix induced the transition of failure mechanisms of CFRP laminates during the CAI test, from the brittle buckling mode to more ductile, multi-layer delamination mode. Addition of 3 wt% clay was shown to be an optimal content for the highest damage resistance.     

单螺栓修复对含冲击损伤碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板压缩承载能力的影响

开展了单钉修复对含冲击损伤碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板压缩承载能力影响的试验研究。测试了三种不同能量冲击后碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板的压缩承载能力及失效模式,测定了单螺栓对碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板压缩承载能力的修复效率,并借助数字图像相关技术(DIC)表征手段揭示了单螺栓修复对含冲击损伤结构失效行为的影响。结果表明:冲击后碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板的压缩承载能力随着冲击能量的增加而降低,冲击损伤破坏了碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板结构的对称性,并导致结构在加载初期呈非对称的局部屈曲变形特征,局部屈曲诱发并加剧分层损伤扩展;单螺栓修复能有效恢复结构的整体对称性,在一定程度上抑制含冲击损伤碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层合板的局部屈曲,达到可观的修复效率。该研究为复合材料紧固件修理方案的制订及修理损伤容限的定义提供一定的指导意义。      

Hybrid specimens eliminating stress concentrations in tensile and compressive testing of unidirectional composites

Two novel approaches are proposed for elimination of stress concentrations in tensile and compressive testing of unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites. An interlayer hybrid specimen type is proposed for tensile testing. The presented finite element study indicated that the outer continuous glass/epoxy plies suppress the stress concentrations at the grips and protect the central carbon/epoxy plies from premature failure, eliminating the need for end-tabs. The test results confirmed the benefits of the hybrid specimens by generating consistent gauge-section failures in tension. The developed hybrid four point bending specimen type and strain evaluation method were verified and applied successfully to determine the compressive failure strain of three different grade carbon/epoxy composite prepregs. Stable failure and fragmentation of the high and ultra-high modulus unidirectional carbon/epoxy plies were reported. The high strength carbon/epoxy plies exhibited catastrophic failure at a significantly higher compressive strain than normally observed.     

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。     

A progressive damage simulation algorithm for GFRP composites under cyclic loading. Part II: FE implementation and model validation

The FE implementation of FADAS, a material constitutive model capable of simulating the mechanical behaviour of GFRP composites under variable amplitude multiaxial cyclic loading, was presented. The discretization of the problem domain by means of FE is necessary for predicting the damage progression in real structures, as failure initiates at the vicinity of a stress concentrator, causing stress redistribution and the gradual spread of damage until the global failure of the structure. The implementation of the stiffness and strength degradation models in the principal material directions of the unidirectional ply was thoroughly discussed. Details were also presented on the FE models developed, the computational effort needed and the definition of final failure considered. Numerical predictions were corroborated satisfactorily by experimental data from constant amplitude uniaxial fatigue of multidirectional glass/epoxy laminates under various stress ratios. The validation of predictions included fatigue strength, stiffness degradation and residual static strength after cyclic loading.     

A study on low velocity impact damage evaluation and repair technique of small aircraft composite structure

Composite structures are very prone to damage at fairly modest levels of impact energy due to foreign object damages. A repair technique using external patch is recognized as an effective method to recover the damaged structures during service life. This work is focusing on the impact damage evaluation and the external patch repair techniques of the aircraft composite structure. The impact damages of composite laminates of the carbon/epoxy UD laminate and the carbon/epoxy fabric face sheets-honeycomb core sandwich laminate are simulated by the drop-weight type impact test equipment. The damaged specimens are repaired using the external patch repair method after removing the damaged area. The compressive strength test and analysis results of the repaired impact damaged specimens are compared with the compressive strength test and analysis results of the undamaged specimens and the impact damaged specimens. Finally, the strength recovery capability after repairing is investigated.     

三维五向编织复合材料低速冲击及冲击后压缩性能实验研究

通过实验研究三维五向碳纤维/环氧树脂编织复合材料低速冲击及其冲击后压缩(CAI)性能。测试试件虽然有不同的编织角度,但承受相同的冲击能力。采用冲击后压缩测试表征不同编织结构的冲击后剩余力学性能。结果表明:编织角较大的试件由于其更紧密的空间结构,能承受更高的冲击载荷且冲击损伤区域更小。CAI强度和损伤机理主要取决于编织纤维束的轴向支撑。随着编织角的增加,CAI强度降低,材料的破坏模式也由横向断裂转变为剪切破坏。     

Numerical evaluation of failure mechanisms on composite specimens subjected to impact loading

Composite panels are in common use, especially in aeronautic and aerospace structures due to their high strength/weight and stiffness/weight ratio. The out-of-plane impact loading is considered potentially dangerous mainly because the damage may be left undetected and because the loading itself acts in the through-the-thickness direction of the laminated composite panel. This direction is the weakest in the composite since no fibres are present in that direction. The impact loading can lead to damage involving three modes of failure: matrix cracking, delamination and eventually fibre breakage for higher impact energies. Even when no visible impact damage is observed at the surface on the point of impact, matrix cracking and delamination can occur, and the residual strength of the composite is considerably reduced. The objective of this study is to determine the mechanisms of the damage growth of impacted composite laminates when subjected to impact loading. For this purpose a series of impact tests were carried out on composite laminates made of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin matrix. An instrumented drop-weight-testing was used together with a C-scan ultrasonic device for the damage identification. Two stacking sequences of two different epoxy resins and carbon fibres, representative of four different elastic behaviours with a different number of interfaces were used. A numerical evaluation of these specimens was also carried out, using static analysis only. Results showed that the delaminated area due to impact loading depends on the number of interfaces between plies. Two failure mechanisms due to impact were identified, which are influenced by the stacking sequence and by the thickness of the panels.     

低速冲击下复合材料层板压缩许用值

为评估航空结构中常用的T300级和T800级2种碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料层压板的冲击后压缩许用值,对2种材料体系下具有不同厚度及铺层的层板进行了低速冲击和冲击后压缩试验;讨论了冲击能量、凹坑深度、损伤面积及冲击后剩余压缩强度等之间的关系,以及厚度、铺层、表面防护等因素对其造成的影响;重点关注了2种材料体系下各组层板的目视勉强可见冲击损伤(BVID)形成条件以及含BVID层板的剩余强度.结果表明:厚度及铺层对层板的凹坑深度-冲击能量关系影响较大,而对冲击后压缩强度-凹坑深度及冲击后压缩破坏应变-凹坑深度关系影响较小,且在相同铺层比例下,BVID对应的冲击能量随厚度近似呈线性增长.X850层板的损伤阻抗性能明显优于CCF300/5228层板的,但二者损伤容限性能相当.加铜网、涂漆等表面处理显著提高了层板的损伤阻抗,但对损伤容限性能影响不大;在损伤不超过BVID时,所有CCF300/5228试件的压缩破坏应变均大于4 000 με,而X850材料体系下压缩破坏应变均在3 000 με之上.     

三维四向编织碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料在热环境中的拉压力学性能实验

针对不同编织角度的三维四向编织碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料,进行了热环境下的轴向拉伸和压缩力学性能实验研究,讨论了温度对三维四向编织复合材料的轴向拉伸和压缩力学性能的影响,并根据宏观断裂形貌和SEM图像分析了材料的破坏和断裂机制。结果表明,随着测试温度的升高,三维四向编织碳纤维/环氧树脂复合材料的纵向拉伸强度有小幅提高,而纵向压缩强度显著降低。在室温条件下,编织角对材料的纵向拉伸破坏特征没有影响,而对材料的纵向压缩破坏特征有较大影响。随着测试温度的升高,不同编织角度复合材料的纵向拉伸和压缩的损伤破坏形态均与室温条件下明显不同。      

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.     

Finite element simulation of low velocity impact on shape memory alloy composite plates

Delamination of composite materials due to low velocity impacts is one of the major failure types of aerospace composite structures. The low velocity impact may not immediately induce any visible damage on the surface of structures whilst the stiffness and compressive strength of the structures can decrease dramatically.

Shape memory alloy (SMA) materials possess unique mechanical and thermal properties compared with conventional materials. Many studies have shown that shape memory alloy wires can absorb a lot of the energy during the impact due to their superelastic and hysteretic behaviour. The superelastic effect is due to reversible stress induced transformation from austenite to martensite. If a stress is applied to the alloy in the austenitic state, large deformation strains can be obtained and stress induced martensite is formed. Upon removal of the stress, the martensite reverts to its austenitic parent phase and the SMA undergoes a large hysteresis loop and a large recoverable strain is obtained. This large strain energy absorption capability can be used to improve the impact tolerance of composites. By embedding superelastic shape memory alloys into a composite structure, impact damage can be reduced quite significantly.

This article investigates the impact damage behaviour of carbon fiber/epoxy composite plates embedded with superelastic shape memory alloys wires. The results show that for low velocity impact, embedding SMA wires into composites increase the damage resistance of the composites when compared to conventional composites structures.     

Post-impact behaviour of aerospace composites for high-temperature applications: experiments and simulations

The post-impact performance of different carbon-fabric-reinforced composite materials were studied experimentally and analytically. Three types of thermosetting matrix were considered: conventional epoxy, high-temperature curing epoxy and epoxy-isocyanate. Experimental testing consisted of impacting rectangular specimens at different energy levels by using a spring-driven impact apparatus that was able to impart velocities of up to 5 m s⁻¹ to masses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 kg travelling horizontally. After impact, coupons were non-destructively inspected by means of opaque-enhanced dye-penetrant X-radiography and tested in static compression to correlate impact energy, damage extent and residual strength. Epoxy composites contain damage within a narrow region, while epoxy-isocyanate materials propagate the damage far away from impact point. Epoxy composites show an asymptotically decreasing failure strength with impact energy up to a lower threshold (0.3–0.4 times that of the undamaged material), while epoxy-isocyanate material shows a trend of ever decreasing residual strength. An analytical study was performed by means of the finite element code PAM-FISS, used to simulate the compression-after-impact (CAI) tests. Type, size and location of damage, as well as the mechanisms leading to final failure, were reproduced quite well by the finite element analysis (FEA), while some discrepancies between FEA and experimental CAI residual strength tests were found (7% for undamaged specimens and 10% for blister-delaminated specimens); higher errors were found in the case of completely delaminated specimens, mainly owing to the inability of the present software and hardware to conveniently model the complete state of damage.     

An engineering approach for predicting residual strength of carbon/epoxy laminates after impact and hygrothermal cycling

A semi-empirical analysis on residual compressive strength (RCS) of carbon/epoxy woven composite laminate was developed which included the damage effects caused by impact and hygrothermal cycling. Impact damage is modelled as a soft inclusion with an exponentially reduced stiffness and the stiffness is further reduced due to hygrothermal cycling. A complex variable method was used to determine the in-plane stress distribution near the impact-induced damage and point stress failure criterion is then used to predict the failure load. Based on the semi-empirical model, the RCS can be related to damage width, damage intensity, undamaged strength and a degradation factor due to hygrothermal cycling. The results from the analysis coincide reasonably well with the experimental data for the plain-woven fabric laminates.     

A meso-scale finite element model for simulating free-edge effect in carbon/epoxy textile composite

Textile composites are well known for their excellent through thickness properties and impact resistance. In this study, a representative unit cell model of a triaxial braided composite is developed based on the composite fiber volume ratio, specimen thickness and microscopic image analysis. A meso-scale finite element (FE) mesh is generated based on the detailed unit cell dimensions and fiber bundle geometry parameters. The fiber bundles are modeled as unidirectional fiber reinforced composites. A micromechanical finite element model was developed to predict the elastic and strength material properties of each unidirectional composite by imposing correct boundary conditions that can simulate the actual deformation within the braided composite. These details are then applied in the meso-mechanical finite element model for a 0°/+60°/−60° triaxially braided T700s/E862 carbon/epoxy composite. Model correlations are conducted by comparing numerical predicted and experimental measured axial tension and transverse tension response of a straight-sided, single-layer (one ply thick) coupon. By applying a periodic boundary condition in the loading direction, the meso model captures the local damage initiation and global failure behavior, as well as the periodic free-edge warping effect. The failure mechanisms are studied using the field damage initiation contours and local stress history. The influence of free-edge effect on the failure behaviors is investigated. The numerical study results reveal that this meso model is capable of predicting free-edge effect and allows identification of its impact on the composite response.     

Fatigue residual strength of circular laminate graphite–epoxy composite plates damaged by transverse load

The research dealt with the relation between damage and tension–tension fatigue residual strength (FRS) in a quasi-isotropic carbon fibre reinforced epoxy resin laminate. The work was organized in two phases: during the first one, composite laminates were damaged by means of an out-of-plane quasi-static load that was supposed to simulate a low velocity impact; in the second phase, fatigue tests were performed on damaged and undamaged specimens obtained from the original composite laminates. During the quasi-static transverse loading phase, damage progression was monitored by means of acoustic emission (AE) technique. The measurement of the strain energy accumulated in the specimens and of the acoustic energy released by fracture events made it possible to estimate the amount of induced damage and evaluate the quasi-static residual tensile strength of the specimens. A probabilistic failure analysis of the fatigue data, reduced by the relative residual strength values, made it possible to relate the FRS of damaged specimens with the fatigue strength of undamaged ones.