Innovative Method for Rapid Turnaround Damage Analysis of Composite Structures

"Composite structures are inherently difficult and time-consuming to analyze due to their material and geometric complexities and the vast number of interfaces present in the material. Conventional analysis techniques, such as the finite element method,can provide acceptably accurate predictions of fracture damage in composites, but at a tremendous expense in time and computational resources. We propose an innovative application of the finite element method that incorporates state-of-the-art numericaldamage modeling techniques in a unified analysis package that provides for rapid turnaround damage analysis of composite structures. Our goal is the creation of methodology that substantially decreases the time necessary for early parametric analyses onlarge structures by 1) minimizing the user input necessary to perform such analyses, 2) utilizing an element constitutive model that predicts the likelihood of failure due to debond and/or decohesion, 3) does all this without sacrificing the accuracy ofthe prediction, and 4) folds this methodology into a user-friendly, PC Windows based interface that is either stand-alone or interfaces with a commercial software package such as ANSYS or LS-DYNA. In Phase I, we will develop and verify the innovativetheoretical damage model using a simple, though practical, example to prove our concept. (P-020150) Composite structural analysis methods that are computationally efficient, user-friendly, and