A fast multi-scale analyzing tool for the investigation of perforated laminates

The paper shows a finite element based multi-scale method for studying problems related to the mechanical behavior of perforated layered composites. Unit cell models and hierarchical meso–macro concepts are presented. Regarding the “effective first ply failure strength”, both inter- and intra-laminar failure as well as free edge effects are taken into account on the meso-level (ply level). In this way the deformation and strength evaluation of structures containing perforated laminates can be performed simply on the structural, i.e. macroscopic level. Furthermore this procedure is very efficient because the structural analysis does not need to account for the perforation explicitly, neither in the finite element discretization nor in the evaluation of stress fields.