Comprehensive investigation on modelling of low-velocity impact damage response of composite laminates − Experimental correlation and assessment

Abstract

Low velocity impact (LVI) experiments are performed to provide correlations with the simulation results based on numerical modeling of the intralaminar matrix damage and interlaminar delamination damage of composite laminates. The good agreement between the numerical simulation and experimental results provided validation of the numerical modeling approach. The validated numerical modeling is then used in the parametrical assessment of the influence of material properties and model- related parameters on the global LVI deformation responses and the evolution characteristics of the intralaminar and interlaminar damage. It is observed that the element deletion method is not suitable to resolve the element distortion problem induced by the progressive damage. The numerical convergence problem caused by element distortion can be resolved with appropriate selection of threshold value of the critical damage parameter without element deletion. The parametrical numerical investigations showed that the variations of material properties and parameters related to interlaminar damage exhibited significant influence on the LVI global deformation responses and progressive damage evolutions. Meanwhile, insignificant influence of the material properties related to the intralaminar damage was observed for the normal variations within material scatters.