Influence of Delamination on the Prediction of Impact Damage in Composites

Abstract

This paper describes recent progress on materials modelling and numerical simulation of fibre reinforced composite panel structures subjected to transverse impact loads. A model of impact damage is presented which includes the contribution from delamination by introducing cohesive interfaces in the laminate model, which may degrade or fail when a delamination failure energy criterion is reached. A continuum damage mechanics model is applied to model the delamination failure at these interfaces which has been implemented in a commercial explicit finite element (FE) code. A comparison of contact load pulses and failure modes from numerical simulations and drop tower impact tests shows good agreement for the prediction of delamination damage and penetration under a range of impact conditions. Results show the importance of including delamination damage in the impact models.