Numerical comparison between Hashin and Chang-Chang failure criteria in terms of inter-laminar damage behavior of laminated composite

Abstract

In this paper, a general three-dimensional finite element model composed of eight-node three-dimension cohesive elements and eight-node solid elements with reduced integration for low-velocity impact analysis of composite materials is established. Firstly, the continuum damage mechanics is applied to simulate the initiation and evolution of the intra-laminar damage. Based on cohesive zone model, the cohesive elements are inserted between layers to predict the inter-laminar damage. Three failure criteria, including 2D Hashin, 3D Hashin and Chang-Chang criteria, are coded in VUMAT and are implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit. The numerical results of energy time curves, force time curves, force displacement curves and damage distribution under three impact energies (7.35 J, 11.03 J and 14.7 J) are in good agreement with previously published data in literature, which indicates that the finite element model is suitable for studying the mechanical response and damage distribution of composites laminates subjected to low-velocity impact. Moreover, the influence of stacking sequence and friction coefficient on mechanical response and damage distribution is analyzed. It is concluded that the composite laminate with a stacking sequence of [45°/0°/−45°/90°]S can reduce the area of damage region compared to [0°/90°]2S because the ±45° layer can improve the shear resistance of composite laminate. Also, the computation accuracy will be the best when the friction coefficient is adopted between 0.5 and 0.7.