An Investigation into an Advanced Composite Finite Element Explicit Biphase Model: Part II – Damage Parameters

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The effects of damage parameter variations in the explicit finite element ‘‘biphase’ ’ composite material model were studied. The damage–time history responses of three elements, selected within a sample aerospace composite panel, under dynamic loading conditions were closely studied for fibre damage, matrix volumetric and deviatoric damages, and total damage. Several of the damage parameters were found to be highly sensitive to the slightest parametric variation, imposing considerable deviations to the predicted dynamic responses of the structures under investigation. The paper continues with identifying such parameters and provides a tabulated damage sensitivity reference that enables effective application of the biphase composite model in investigating real-life aerospace composite design problems. KEY WORDS: impact, damage tolerance, advanced aerospace composite struc-tures, dynamic response, explicit biphase solver