Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T20:15:25.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A finite element analysis of impact damage in composite laminates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2016

Y. Shi  and
C. Soutis
Y. Shi*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
C. Soutis*
Affiliation:
School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering, University of Mancheste, Manchester, UK
*
[email protected]
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In this work, stress-based and fracture mechanics criteria were developed to predict initiation and evolution, respectively, of intra- and inter-laminar cracking developed in composite laminates subjected to low velocity impact. The Soutis shear stress-strain semi-empirical model was used to describe the nonlinear shear behaviour of the composite. The damage model was implemented in the finite element (FE) code (Abaqus/Explicit) by a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT). Delamination (or inter-laminar cracking) was modelled using interface cohesive elements and the splitting and transverse matrix cracks that appeared within individual plies were also simulated by inserting cohesive elements between neighbouring elements parallel to the fibre direction in each single layer. A good agreement was obtained when compared the numerically predicted results to experimentally obtained curves of impact force and absorbed energy versus time. A non-destructive technique (NDT), penetrant enhanced X-ray radiography, was used to observe the various damage mechanisms induced by impact. It has been shown that the proposed damage model can successfully capture the internal damage pattern and the extent to which it was developed in these carbon fibre/epoxy composite laminates.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 116 , Issue 1186 , December 2012 , pp. 1331 - 1347
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Diaz Valdes, S.H and Soutis, C. Health monitoring of composites using lamb waves generated by piezo-electric devices, Plast Rubber Compos, 2000, 29, (9), pp 496–502.Google Scholar
2. Diaz Valdes, S.H and Soutis, C. Real-time non-destructive evaluation of fibre composite laminates using low-frequency lamb waves, J Acc Soc AM, 2002, 111, (5), pp 2026–2033.Google Scholar
3. Abrate, S. Impact on Composite Structures, 1998, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
4. Berbinau, P., Soutis, C., Goutas, P and Curtis, P.T. Effect of off-axis ply orientation on 0°-fibre microbuckling, Composites Part A, 1999, 30, pp 1197–1207.Google Scholar
5. Berbinau, P., Soutis, C. and Guz, I.A. Compressive failure of 0° unidirectional carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates by fibre micobuckling, Compos Sci Technol, 1999, 59, pp 1451–1455.Google Scholar
6. Anderson, T.L. Fracture Mechanics — Fundamentals and Applications, 1995, CRC Press, New York.Google Scholar
7. Kashtalyan, M and Soutis, C. The effect of delaminations induced by transverse cracks and splits on stiffness properties of composite laminates, Composites Part A, 2000, 31, pp 107–119.Google Scholar
8. Kashtalyan, M and Soutis, C. Analysis of local delaminations in composite laminates with angle-ply matrix cracks, Int J Solids Struct, 2002, 39, pp 1515–1537.Google Scholar
9. Zhang, J., Fan, J. and Soutis, C. Analysis of multiple matrix cracking in [±θm/90n]s composite laminates. Part 1: In-plane stiffness properties, Composites, 1992, 23, (5), pp 291–298.Google Scholar
10. Kashtallyan, M.Y. and Soutis, C. Mechanisms of internal damage and their effect on the behaviour and properties of cross-ply composite laminates, Int Appl Mech, 2002, 38, (6), pp 641–657.Google Scholar
11. Zhang, J., Soutis, C. and Fan, J. Strain energy release rate associated with local delamination in cracked composite laminates, Composites, 1994, 25, (9), pp 851–862.Google Scholar
12. Tita, V., de Carvalho, J. and Vandepitte, D. Failure analysis of low velocity impact on thin composite laminates: Experimental and numerical approaches, Compos Struct, 2008, 83, pp 413–428.Google Scholar
13. Davies, G.A.O. and Olsson, R. Impact on composite structures, Aeronaut J, 2004, 108, (1089), pp 541–563.Google Scholar
14. Matthews, F.L., Davies, G.A.O., Hitchings, D. and Soutis, C. Finite Element Modelling of Composite Materials and Structures, 2000, Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge.Google Scholar
15. Donadon, M.V., Iannucci, L., Falzon, B.G., Hodgkinson, J.M. and Almeida, S.F.M. A progressive failure model for composite laminates subjected to low velocity impact damage, Comput Struct, 2008, 86, pp 1232–1252.Google Scholar
16. Faggiani, A. and Falzon, B.G. Predicting low-velocity impact damage on a stiffened composite panel, Composites Part A, 2010, 41, pp 737–749.Google Scholar
17. Iannucci, L. and Ankersen, J. An energy based damage model for thin laminated composites, Compos Sci Technol, 2006, 66, pp 934–951.Google Scholar
18. Yokoyama, N.O., Donadon, M.V. and Almeida, S.F.M. A numerical study on the impact resistance of composite shells using an energy based failure model, Compos Struct, 2010, 93, pp 142–152.Google Scholar
19. Kachanov, L.M. On the creep rupture time, Izv AN SSSR Otd Tekhn Nauk, 1958, 8, pp 26–31.Google Scholar
20. Rabotnov, Y.N. On the equations of state for creep, Progress in Applied Mechanics, 1963, Prager Anniversary Volume, Macmillan, NewYork.Google Scholar
21. Kashtalyan, M. and Soutis, C. Analysis of composite laminates with intra- and interlaminar damage, Prog Aerosp Sci, 2005, 41, pp 152–173.Google Scholar
22. Hashin, Z. and Rotem, A. A fatigue failure criterion for fiber-reinforced materials, J Compos Mater, 1973, 7, pp 448–464.Google Scholar
23. Hashin, Z. Failure criteria for uni-directional fibre composites, J Appl. Mech, 1980, 47, (1), pp 329–334.Google Scholar
24. Puck, A. and Schurmann, H. Failure analysis of FRP laminates by means of physically based phenomenological models, Compos Sci Technol, 1998, 58, (10), pp 1045–1067.Google Scholar
25. Bažant, Z.P. and Oh, B.H. Crack band theory for fracture of concrete, Mater Struct, 1983, 16, pp 155–177.Google Scholar
26. Lapczyk, I. and Hurtado, J.A. Progressive damage modelling in fiber-reinforced materials, Composites Part A, 2007, 38, pp 2333–2341.Google Scholar
27. Camanho, P.P. and Dávila, C.G. Mixed-Mode decohesion finite elements for the simulation of delamination in composite materials, 2002, Tech Report NASA/TM-2002-211737.Google Scholar
28. ABAQUS. ABAQUS Version 6.10, 2010, Dessault Systems, Providence, RI, USA.Google Scholar
29. Khan, S.A. and Huang, S. Continuum Theory of Plasticity, 1995, John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA.Google Scholar
30. Lemaitre, J. and Chaboche, J.L. Mechanics of Solid Materials, 1990, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
31. Danesi, R., Luccioni, B. and Oller, S. Coupled plastic-damaged model, Comput Methods Appl Mech Eng, 1996, 129, (1-2), pp 81–89.Google Scholar
32. ASTM D7136/D7136M-07. Standard test method for measuring the damage resistance of a fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composite to a drop-weight impact event, 2007, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, USA.Google Scholar
33. Jumahat, A., Soutis, C. and Hodzic, A. A graphical method predicting the compressive strength of toughened unidirectional composite laminates, Appl Compos Mater, 2011, 18, pp 65–83.Google Scholar
34. Chang, F.K. and Shahid, I.S. An accumulative damage model for tensile and shear failures of laminated composite plates, J Compos Mater, 1995, 29, (7), pp 926–981.Google Scholar
35. Pinho, S.T., Iannucci, L. and Robinson, P. Fracture toughness of the tensile and compressive fibre failure modes in laminated composites, Compos Sci Technol, 2006, 66, (13), pp 2069–2079.Google Scholar
36. Sung, N. and Suh, N. Effect of fiber orientation on friction and wear of fiber reinforced polymeric composites, Wear, 1979, 53, pp 129–141.Google Scholar
37. Schon, J. Coefficient of friction of composite delamination surfaces, Wear, 2000, 237, pp 77–89.Google Scholar
38. Bing, Q. and Sun, C.T. Effect of transverse normal stress on mode II fracture toughness in fiber composites, 2007, 16th International conference on composite materials, Kyoto, Japan.Google Scholar
39. Shi, Y., Swati, T. and Soutis, C. Modelling damage evolution in composite laminates subjected to low velocity impact, Compos Struct, 2012, 94, pp 2902–2913.Google Scholar
40. Camanho, P.P., Dávila, C.G. and de Moura, M.F. Numerical simulation of mixed-mode progressive delamination in composite materials, J Compos Mater, 2003, 37, (16), pp 1415–1438.Google Scholar
41. Soutis, C. and Guz, I.A. Fracture of layered composites by internal fibre instability: Effect of interlaminar adhesion, Aeronaut J, 2006, 110, (1105), pp 185–195.Google Scholar
42. Soutis, C., Smith, F.C. and Matthews, F.L. Predicting the compressive engineering performance of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics, Composites Part A, 2000, 31, (6), pp 531–536.Google Scholar
43. Lavoie, J.A., Soutis, C. and Morton, J. Apparent strength scaling in continuous fiber composite laminates, Compos Sci Technol, 2000, 60, (2), pp 283–299.Google Scholar
44. Lee, J. and Soutis, C. A study on the compressive strength of thick carbon fibre/epoxy laminates. Compos Sci Technol, 2007, 67, (10), pp 2015–2026.Google Scholar
45. Curtis, P.T., Hawyes, V.J. and Soutis, C. Effect of impact damage on the compressive response of composite laminates. Composites Part A, 2001, 32, (9): 1263–1270.Google Scholar
46. Soutis, C. and Curtis, P.T. Prediction of the post-impact compressive strength of CFRP laminated composites, Compos Sci Technol, 1996, 56, (6), pp 677–684.Google Scholar