Prediction of the propagation of impact-induced delamination in carbon/epoxy laminates

In this study, a numerical model is developed especially for tracking the propagation of the impact-induced delamination under subsequent flexural loading. The progressive damage modeling technique is used to simulate the quasi-static three-point bending test. The numerical model is validated with experimental bending tests on impacted carbon/epoxy specimens. The specimens contain embedded delamination caused by low velocity impact prior to applying the flexural load. The impact-induced delaminated zone and the delamination propagation during the bending test are assessed using ultrasonic inspection. The force-displacement response and the delamination propagation obtained from the model and the experiments are compared for validation, with satisfactory results. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.