Impact Engineering of Composite Structures
July 21, 2008 — July 25, 2008
Coordinator:
- Serge Abrate (Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. , USA)
Composite materials are used extensively in structural and non-structural applications due to their high stiffness and strength and low density. During their lifetime they are expected to be subjected to a number of impacts during manufacturing or maintenance operations and in certain applications they will be subjected to ballistic impacts. Impact induced damage can be significant in composite structures. That damage might not be visible and yet it can cause significant reductions in the load carrying capacity of the structure.
This course will present a detailed discussion of models used to analyze impacts by foreign objects starting with a review of the mechanical properties of composites: constitutive equations, failure criteria. The impact event is analyzed by combining appropriate models for the structure, fo the projectile, and for the projectile-structure interaction. The use of three-dimensional elasticity models, various plate and shell models, and simplified models is discussed along with the contact behavior between the projectile and the target. Experimental techniques to determine the material properties at high strain rates are discussed as well as the apparatus necessary for conducting both low velocity and high velocity impacts.
Factors influencing the development of impact damage are discussed and the effects of impact damage on the residual properties of the structures are discussed from both an analytical and an experimental point of view. Techniques for repairing impact damage are presented.
This course presents an in-depth view of the effects of impacts on composite and sandwich structures in aerospace, automotive and other applications. Experimental, analytical and numerical approaches for studying both low velocity and high velocity impacts are presented. After the completion of this course, the participants will be familiar with the mechanics of composite structures and will be able to develop models for analyzing the dynamic response of structures to an impact by a foreign object. They will also be familiar with experimental techniques used to determine the dynamic properties of these materials and experimental techniques for studying both low velocity and ballistic impacts, including non-destructive techniques for characterizing impact-induced damage.