Evaluation of the effects of the numerical modelling choices on the simulation of a tensile test on CFRP composite

Abstract The goal of the present work is to define a method to build a FE model which is able to reproduce an experimental tensile test on CFRP specimen with different stacking sequences (UD and balanced). The defined method assesses the material numerical parameters by means of a simulation that replicates, as a virtual test, the experimental tensile one, and in the future, it will be possible to exploit the data obtained to create a reliable model for the simulation of low velocity impacts. Analyses have been performed using the non-linear solver ABAQUS Explicit. The current work further studies how to model damage and the effect of modifications of the numerical parameters on the results. Indeed, the numerical simulation of composite materials is very sensitive to the numerical choices made. Moreover, from the literature and experiments, the mechanical properties of composites are very variable and hence the evaluation of the model response to such modifications is of particular interest.