This paper on "Simulating the Impact Behaviour of Composite Structures for Industrial Application in Aircraft Structures" was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress on The Evolution of Product Simulation From Established Methods to Virtual Testing & Prototyping - 24-28 April 2001, The Grand Hotel, Lake Como, Italy.

Summary

The increasing usage of composites in aircraft structures demands detailed knowledge of structural behaviour for special applications such as impacts. The impact resistance of composites gains significance with respect to high and low energy impact scenarios.
In order to predict the impact behaviour of composites theoretical approaches using the FE-code ABAQUS/explicit are presented within this paper. The analysis is performed in relation to typical material characteristics of composites, i.e. inter-laminar shear strength and ultimate strain capability, which determines the impact resistance of these types of materials. In order to illustrate practical applications, impact scenarios like a bird strike of a leading edge and hard body impact of CFRP panels are investigated.