Computationally Efficient Damage and Residual Strength Predictions using Progressive Damage Failure Analysis (PDFA) with an Enriched Shell Element

An important aspect of the design of composite structures is certification for damage tolerance. Current certification involves tests for low velocity impact (LVI) damage, and the residual compression strength after impact (CSAI). In this work, an adaptive fidelity shell (AFS) model is used to simulate this mutli-step LVI/CSAI process, improving previous LVI results. The two-step process is simulated to ensure that the damage is transferred correctly from one step (LVI) to the next (CSAI) correctly. Use of this model will enable efficient large-scale simulations of full structures with accurate estimations of damage and strength. The AFS model was used to simulate LVI and CSAI for two laminate stacking sequences from the ONR high fidelity database. The model shows promise, but further development is needed to fully capture damage processes seen in LVI/CSAI.