Abstract
In the present work, damage propagation in thermoplastic composite laminates subjected to quasi-static tensile loading was numerically simulated using different damage models. The simulation was performed using the commercial finite element suite LS-Dyna, where various material models were evaluated based on their ability to simulate the thermoplastic composite behavior. More specifically, material models based on Tsai-Wu failure criteria (MAT_055), progressive damage modeling (MAT_162), micromechanical material modeling (MAT_215) and continuum damage modeling (MAT_261) were implemented, comparing the output failure strength and load – displacement curve with experimental data available in the literature. The approach of damage evolution and failure type for each model was taken under consideration as well. Overall, the progressive damage model (MAT_162) presented the most accurate prediction of the material’s failure behavior.
Highlights
The use of thermoset matrix composite materials in the aerospace industry has been growing the past decades. The advantages over their metallic counterparts include superior strengthto-weight ratio and adjustable mechanical properties depending on their application [1]. Their complexity in microstructural level leads to difficulties in mechanical response prediction
The recent need for more environmentally friendly materials has turned the attention to thermoplastic matrix composite materials
Simple tensile loading boundary conditions were implemented to the simulation, with one edge fixed in all 3 degrees of freedom and the other end displaced in a constant rate (100 mm/s) along the longitudinal axis of the laminate
Summary
The use of thermoset matrix composite materials in the aerospace industry has been growing the past decades The advantages over their metallic counterparts include superior strengthto-weight ratio and adjustable mechanical properties depending on their application [1]. Even though experimental studies can be found, numerical works based on finite element analyses are not common yet Considering their differences in mechanical response to thermoset composite materials, new finite element models should be developed to simulate their behavior. Four different LS-Dyna material damage models were investigated for thermoplastic composites under quasi-static tension Their ability to capture the damage propagation as well as the total response of a thermoplastic matrix laminate was evaluated in comparison to experimental data available in the literature. It is considered crucial to simulate the damage behavior of the welded elements in order to predict failure, in case of crack branching outside of the weldline
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