Meso-scale modeling of hypervelocity impact damage in composite laminates

Objectives: This paper presents an approach to numerical modeling of hypervelocity impact on carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Methods: The approach is based on the detailed meso-scale representation of a composite laminate. Material models suitable for explicit modeling of laminate structure, including fiber-reinforced layers and resin-rich regions, are described. Two numerical impact tests with significantly different impact energies were conducted on thermoplastic AS4/PEEK materials with quasi-isotropic layups. Simulations employed both SPH and Finite element methods. Results: Results of simulations are verified against experimental data available from the literature and demonstrate good correlation with the experiments. Conclusions: Developed modeling approach can be used in simulations where post-impact damage progression in composite material is of the main focus. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.