Damage prediction of rib-stiffened composite structures subjected to ballistic impact

Abstract This paper details a numerical modeling and experimental test program focused on high energy ballistic impacts on composite rib-stiffened structures. The numerical model used in this paper is designated as the Multiconstituent Composite Model (MCM), which is implemented within the CTH shock physics code for simulation of ballistic impact damage on composite structures. The presented work utilized a building block approach, where component level flat panels were studied first, followed by sub-structure level T-joint specimens, both fabricated from a carbon/epoxy composite material. All numerical studies and experimental tests utilized the military grade 0.50 caliber M2 Ball round as a projectile. Following testing, each panel was inspected both visually and using Ultrasonic C-Scan techniques to determine the extent of damage sustained upon impact. Finally, comparisons of the experimental data with the numerical predictions are presented and discussed. Both the flat panel and T-joint damage predictions were in good agreement with the experimental data.

[1]  Andrew C. Hansen,et al.  A three-constituent multicontinuum theory for woven fabric composite materials , 2003 .

[2]  Romesh C. Batra,et al.  Effect of frame size, frame type, and clamping pressure on the ballistic performance of soft body armor , 2008 .

[3]  D. Agard,et al.  Microtubule nucleation by γ-tubulin complexes , 2011, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.

[4]  Alexander A. Lukyanov,et al.  Constitutive behaviour of anisotropic materials under shock loading , 2008 .

[5]  Andrew C. Hansen,et al.  A Multicontinuum Theory for Thermal-Elastic Finite Element Analysis of Composite Materials , 1997 .

[6]  N. K. Naik,et al.  Composite structures under ballistic impact , 2004 .

[7]  Corneliu Cismasiu,et al.  Numerical simulation of ballistic impact on composite laminates , 2005 .

[8]  D. Steinberg,et al.  A constitutive model for metals applicable at high-strain rate , 1980 .

[9]  Andrew C. Hansen,et al.  A Multicontinuum Approach to Structural Analysis of Linear Viscoelastic Composite Materials , 1997 .

[10]  R. Zaera,et al.  Dynamic tensile behaviour at low temperature of CFRP using a split Hopkinson pressure bar , 2005 .

[11]  Z. Hashin.  Failure Criteria for Unidirectional Fiber Composites , 1980 .

[12]  Kamran Behdinan,et al.  Numerical simulation of normal and oblique ballistic impact on ceramic composite armours , 2004 .

[13]  Tarek I. Zohdi,et al.  Multiscale construction and large-scale simulation of structural fabric undergoing ballistic impact , 2006 .

[14]  Isaac M Daniel,et al.  Dynamic compressive behavior of thick composite materials , 1998 .

[15]  Rodney Hill,et al.  Theory of mechanical properties of fibre-strengthened materials: I. Elastic behaviour , 1964 .

[16]  P. Hazell,et al.  The effect of specimen thickness on the shock propagation along the in-fibre direction of an aerospace-grade CFRP laminate , 2009 .

[17]  T. M. Damiani,et al.  Micromechanics of fabric reinforced composites with periodic microstructure , 2005 .

[18]  C. M. Lund,et al.  A constitutive model for strain rates from 10−4 to 106 s−1 , 1989 .

[19]  C. Navarro,et al.  Experimental and numerical analysis of normal and oblique ballistic impacts on thin carbon/epoxy woven laminates , 2008 .