Structural Evaluation of Steel/CFRP Hybrid Part Using Progressive Damage Model and Cohesive Zone Model

Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) is a typical lightweight material used in the aerospace industry. However, the automotive industry has focused on the application of composite materials in vehicle components for weight reduction. In particular, hybrid parts consisting of CFRP reinforcement and a steel outer have been investigated in many studies as a solution to satisfy weight reduction and high strength. In this paper, a steel/CFRP hybrid part was evaluated by impact analysis using several material models, such as the Johnson–Cook model, progressive damage analysis (PDA), and cohesive zone model (CZM). First, the mechanical properties of the steel were determined under different strain rates to assess collision effects. Subsequently, the material properties of the CFRP were evaluated to predict the failure of composite material in the tensile and compressive directions. In addition, the cohesive properties of adhesive film were evaluated under normal and shear modes. Finally, impact analysis using the obtained material properties was conducted to predict the behavior and strength of the steel/CFRP hybrid part under collisions, and the results were compared with the experimental results for verification.