Damage Simulation of Stitched CFRP Laminates Under High-Velocity Projectile Impact

In this study, numerical analytical model which simulates the damage behavior of the through-the-thickness stitched CFRP laminates under high velocity impact (HVI) is developed. The simulation results are compared with experimental results for validation of the developed model. Through-the-thickness stitched CFRP laminates have good mechanical properties such as higher delamination toughness and better impact resistance than that of conventional laminates. In this study, rigid body impact tests were conducted for the stitched CFRP laminates. Test results revealed that through-the-thickness stitching effectively suppressed the propagation of the delamination, and it increased the performance against the perforation. Among them, moderate stitched CFRP had the highest performance. In order to analyze the HVI damage behavior of the stitched CFRP laminate, special finite element model was developed. In the model, the in-plane tensile and compressive fiber damages were considered by using stress criterion. Transverse cracks were modeled by continuum damage mechanics (CDM). Delamination was modeled by cohesive zone model (CZM). The effect of the stitch threads were introduced by multiscale approach. Out-of-plane tensile tests were performed for small specimens those include single stitching. Small finite element model which contains a non-linear spring element was prepared, and the load-displacement relationship of the non-linear spring was decided so that the result of the model agreed with the tests. Then, the spring elements were introduced to the HVI simulation model. The simulation results revealed that stitching bridges the delamination and delamination area was reduced. On the other hand, the simulation results revealed that delamination reduces the tensile stress in the bottom surface of the laminate. Because delamination easily propagate in the moderate stitched laminates, the performance against the perforation of the moderate stitched laminates is the highest among the stitched laminates.