Prediction of the propagation of impact-induced delamination in carbon/epoxy laminates

In this study, a numerical model is developed especially for tracking the propagation of the impact-induced delamination under subsequent flexural loading. The progressive damage modeling technique is used to simulate the quasi-static three-point bending test. The numerical model is validated with experimental bending tests on impacted carbon/epoxy specimens. The specimens contain embedded delamination caused by low velocity impact prior to applying the flexural load. The impact-induced delaminated zone and the delamination propagation during the bending test are assessed using ultrasonic inspection. The force–displacement response and the delamination propagation obtained from the model and the experiments are compared for validation, with satisfactory results.