Axial Crush and Bending Collapse Analysis of Non-Crimped Fabric Composite Structures

Abstract

In this paper, the investigation of the energy absorption capability of non-crimped carbon fiber composite tubes in axial compression and bending will be documented. The tubular beams were comprised of an eight layer (0/-45/45/90/90/45/-45/0) unidirectional carbon fiber architecture manufactured using a compression molding process. The experiments for axial compression and bending were conducted using drop tower and Instron three-point bend fixtures, respectively. The COmplete STress Reduction (COSTR) damage model, developed for predicting intra-layer failures, was extended to predict the response under axial crush and bending collapse through a user written subroutine developed in the framework of the LS-DYNA computer program. Inter-layer cohesion and failure were modeled using a computationally efficient cohesive zone model governed by a bi-linear traction-separation law with a quadratic mixed mode delamination criterion and damage formulation. The comparison of numerical and experimental results for the crush and bending tests are also presented and show good correlation.