A newly proposed damage constitutive model for composite laminates under low-velocity impact by considering through-thickness compression damage

• Published in: Aerospace science and technology 2023-06, Vol.137, p.108267, Article 108267
• Main Authors: Jiang, Jian, Zhang, Zhifang, Fu, Jiyang, Wang, Hongxu, Ng, Ching-Tai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Composite laminate; Damage constitutive model; Finite element analysis; Impact damage; Low-velocity impact
• ISSN: 1270-9638; 1626-3219
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ast.2023.108267

The existing damage constitutive models for a composite lamina under impact loading have mainly considered four failure modes: longitudinal fiber failure in tension and compression, matrix failure in tension and compression along the transverse direction. However, when subjected to an impact load in the out-of-plane direction, through-thickness compression failure may also occur in laminates. Therefore, the present paper has established a damage constitutive model considering through-thickness compression failure and has compared it to those constitutive models without such consideration to see the improvement in the impact response analysis and to discuss the necessity of including through-thickness compression damage in the simulation. To this end, impact testing was conducted on manufactured composite panels, and the results were used to validate the finite element simulation of composite laminates under impact. The results showed that the constitutive model with the compression failure mode in the thickness direction had higher accuracy in predicting the impact force, displacement, damage, and energy absorption of laminates. The predicted results by the developed constitutive model showed that through-thickness compression damage indeed occurred in the laminates during the impact process, and it was mainly concentrated in the layers near the impact side. In the layers near the rear side, the tension damage of longitudinal fiber and matrix mainly initiated and developed in the annular region around the impact center on the laminates.