High-velocity impact damage modeling of laminated composites using Abaqus/Explicit and multiscale methods

The present work describes a multiscale methodology which has been developed for modeling of impact damage in the laminated composite structures. The methodology employs the High Fidelity Generalized Method of Cells (HFGMC) micromechanical model for the prediction of the local stress and strain fields, within the representative unit cell of the unidirectional composite material. The Mixed Mode Continuum Damage Mechanics (MMCDM) theory has been utilized to model damage within the composite unit cell at the micromechanical level. The MMCDM theory enables modeling of the microdamage nonlinearities at in-plane shear and transverse compressive loadings of the composite plies. Employment of the multiscale approach enables the application of the MMCDM damage model in structural analyzes. Computations at the structural level have been performed using Abaqus/Explicit, whereas the link between the two distinct scales has been established by the VUMAT subroutine. The method uses an adaptive approach in which the micromechanical computations in the HFGMC-VUMAT subroutine have been called only at the material points in which damage effects are to be expected. The Puck's ply-based failure theory has been applied as the criterion initiating the micromechanical analyzes. The methodology has been implemented in the high-velocity soft-body impact simulations at T300/914 CFRP composite plates. Results of the multiscale damage model have been validated using available experimental data and by comparison with the numerical results obtained using several ply level failure criteria and the Abaqus built-in damage model for fiber-reinforced composites.