Dynamic Damage of Composite Plates to High Intensity Loadings

Dynamic damage of B/Al composite laminates subjected to high intensity loadings was investigated using the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique. The power of SPH is that it is a pure Lagrangian particle method in which no underlying grids are required. This notable feature avoids the numerical problems associated with mesh entanglement and distortion and leads to an ability to handle large deformation with void formation such as matrix cracking and delamination. In this paper, the boron fibers and aluminum matrix were treated as different materials instead of a homogenous, anisotropic medium as considered in conventional composite analyses. This treatment is of importance for distinguishing the individual response of the fiber and matrix materials, especially in the study of damage in composites. Numerical results showed that damage to the B/AL composite laminates under high velocity impact would be caused not only by perforation but also by a great deal of delamination. For the [02/902], and [902/02], laminates investigated, the damage size is fairly linearly proportional to striking speed where global bending deformation is insignificant. The difference of the maximum damage size between the two plates is insignificant.