Coupled Analysis of Low-Velocity Impact Damage and Compression after Impact Strength of Composite Laminates

A coupled analysis of impact damage and compression-after-impact (CAI) strength of laminated composite plates was conducted using efficient analytical and semianalytical models with the goal of demonstrating and validating the overall coupled impact/CAI strength model. Within this coupled framework, the impact model determines the transient response of the plate subjected to low-velocity impact, followed by an estimation of impact damage using a combination of strength and energy-based criteria. The predicted impact damage is idealized and used in conjunction with analytical buckling and postbuckling or kink-band analysis to predict the residual compressive strength. The coupled analysis approach was validated by applying it to impact and compression-after-impact experiments conducted on AS4/8552 laminates. It was shown that the coupled analysis model is able to predict accurately the compression-after-impact strength for a range of impact scenarios and material layups in a fraction of the time required by detailed finite-element models.