A modified progressive damage model for simulating low-velocity impact of composite laminates

Abstract

A modified progressive damage model is constructed to analyze the damage mechanics and damage development of composite laminates induced by low-velocity impact in this article. The damage modes are judged by the 3D Hashin failure criterion. A modified damage evolution model, which was constructed based on through-thickness normal strain component [Formula: see text], is implemented to describe progressive damage of composites. Cohesive elements with quadratic failure criterion and B-K criterion are applied to simulate the development of delamination. The 3D Hashin criterion and modified damage evolution model are coded in VUMAT and called in the ABAQUS/Explicit package. The damage distribution and mechanical behavior, including impactor energy, react force, displacement, predicted by numerical simulation are compared with the experimental data of different impact energies (7.35, 11.03, and 14.70 J). The numerical results and experimental data are in good agreement, which suggests that the modified damage evolution model is beneficial for studying the dynamic mechanical behavior during impact. Moreover, the influence of cohesive element thickness on numerical results is discussed. It is concluded that the cohesive element thickness should be adopted between 0.001 and 0.0075 mm.