Effects of Damage to Composite Materials

Because of their high strength to weight ratio, composite materials are being increasingly used to replace metals in current combat vehicles, particularly for armor and structural applications. This trend will continue into the future as requirements become more stringent. Of particular concern for the Army is the effect that damage to the composite has on its vulnerability within a combat environment. In this project we propose to develop an engineering model of the residual strength and modal response of damaged composite plates through an approach that coordinates and integrates results from analytical models, finite element simulations and testing.