Charpy impact tests on composite structures – An experimental and numerical investigation

After careful tailoring, composite structures can provide a reasonable well response to impact loads with the additional advantages of weight savings and structural stiffness. In order to efficiently design composite structures for impact loads, reliable numerical models are required and sufficiently accurate material codes are necessary. This paper deals with the experimental investigation of carbon reinforced composites under low-velocity impact and its numerical modelling with an orthotropic continuous damage-based material approach available in LSDYNA-3D. Experimental investigations in a Charpy test rig were conducted in order to identify key parameters influencing the impact damage resistance of composite structures. Using the experimental results, a numerical study of the impacted specimens was performed in LSDYNA-3D. Solid elements in conjunction with a damage-based composite material model were used to perform the calculations. A good correlation between experimentally and numerically obtained forces and failure modes has been achieved. Furthermore, the practical numerical modelling of composite materials under low-velocity impact, together with recommendations and achievements towards the effort to model their complex behaviour under high dynamic impact is discussed.