As the application of advanced composites expands and new material systems are introduced and as the severity of mechanical, thermal, and environmental loading conditions increases, the analyses of durability,damage evaluation and failure of these structures under static and dynamic conditions becomes more and more important. It is the specific objective of this research: 1. To develop a global-local engineering methodology using homogenization theory for obtaining a model with varying degrees of fidelity that effectively describes the dynamic responseof structures composed of periodic media, 2. To couple the global-local homogenization models of composite structures with local heterogeneous damage models and showing the practical feasibility of embedding different damage models into the coupled global local dynamic analysis,and 3. To incorporate the global-local dynamic models and local damage models into an existing finite element program and to analyze benchmark problems of impulsively-loaded structures which are of interest tothe Army to assess the accuracy of the developed analysis tool.
Benefits: The need for a robust composite structure design and an analysis tool capable of predicting the integrity of composite structures during impact or impulsive loading events exits in both commercial and military vehicle sectors. The software developed during this research will provide a practical tool for military designers, commercial designers, and manufacturers of composite materials to analyze and design lightweight composite vehicle bodies. Numerous ranges of other applications will also greatly benefit from this package.
