Abstract:

Coupon testing plays an important role in aeronautical design, providing a great understanding of material behaviour under different stress conditions. Integrating simulation at this stage could significantly reduce the need for extensive physical tests. This approach could reduce costs and time associated with traditional testing, enhancing design optimisation and safety. However, creating any realistic model requires excellent care and knowledge.

Previous models have shown the capability to predict the strength and damage behaviour of composite laminates, effectively reproducing experimental results using techniques such as aligned mesh. However, a significant challenge arises with the replication of aligned mesh in complex geometries. While regular mesh is a potential alternative, it could not accurately predict strength and crack propagation.

To address the challenges, a new continuum damage model (CDMFR3D) was developed. The novelty of this model lies in its constitutive law, which is evaluated in a newly defined material system based on the fibre direction rather than the conventional ABAQUS corotational system. This new approach allows the model to capture the effects of fibre rotation and its influence on the overall mechanical behaviour of laminates. Validation of the model against experimental data demonstrated good improvements in strength and failure predictions for composite laminates.

The current step in this research focuses on developing a multiscale surrogate modelling framework to transfer information from the laminate to the structural level, enabling the application of CDMFR3D in large-scale structural simulations while maintaining computational efficiency.