Low velocity impact modelling in laminate composite panels with discrete interface elements

Abstract

a b s t r a c tA model enabling the detection of damages developing during a low velocity/low energy impact test on laminate composite panels has been elaborated. The ply model is composed of interface type elements to describe matrix cracks and volumic finite elements. This mesh device allows to respect the material orthotropy of the ply and accounts for the discontinuity experimentally observed. Afterwards delaminations are described with interfaces similar to the ones observed with matrix cracks and the coupling between these two damages are established. In the first step, simple stress criteria are used to drive these interface type elements in order to assess the relevance of model principle. Nevertheless, the well known problem of mesh sensitivity of these criteria prevents the use of this model for now as a predictive tool but rather as a qualitative tool. An experimental validation is carried out thanks to impact experimental tests performed by Aboissiere (2003) and a very good match has been found. However, this model could predictivelly be used and would allow to foresee an original method to detect delaminations during an experimental test. This modelling has been successfully tested experimentally and compared to a C-Scan ultrasonic investigation.

Interaction of inter- and intralaminar damage in scaled quasi-static indentation tests: Part 2 – Numerical simulation

“…The damage behaviour and damage mitigation of composites have thus been extensively studied and reviewed by both experimental and numerical approaches e.g. [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…Bouvet et al [14] in contrast to these single crack models proposed a distinct formulation with an unique model architecture to take account of the effect of global matrix cracks on delamination of quasiisotropic composite plates under impact loading. Each ply was meshed into small parallel strips along the fibre direction with one volumetric element.…”

A New Damage Model to Predict Orthotropic Nonlinear Behavior of Woven Glass-Epoxy Composite

“…Sevkat et al proposed stress-based orthotropic failure criteria for a composite ply and a stressbased delamination failure criterion for the interface to simulate the drop-weight tests of hybrid woven composite panels [3]. Bouvet et al simulated the matrix cracking and delamination with spring elements based on a stress criterion, and a strain criterion was adopted for the fiber failure [4]. Johnson put forward intraply damage evolution equations of a 2D woven composite ply under impact loading, assuming that the damage modes in the fiber and shear directions were decoupled [5].…”

Experimental investigation of impact on composite laminates with protective layers

“…Consequently, damage tolerance in composites has been a subject of investigation for many years. Several authors, [5][6][7][8][9][10] have studied the resistance of composite structures against low velocity impacts.…”

“…Consequently, damage tolerance in composites has been a subject of investigation for many years. Several authors, [5][6][7][8][9][10] have studied the resistance of composite structures against low velocity impacts.The use of mechanical protection against impact is one other way of solving the problem of impact on composites. Although introduction of a mechanical protection against impact induces a non-negligible increase in weight of the structure, it nonetheless avoids or considerably reduces damage in the structure.…”