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Session: Poster pitches day 1
Session starts: Monday 26 June, 09:50
Presentation starts: 09:50

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Lucy Li (National Research Council Canada)
Peyman Shabani (University of Carleton)
Jeremy Laliberte (University of Carleton)
Qi Gang (National Research Council Canada)

Abstract:
The primary strategy to ensure structural integrity of composite structures for aircraft design and certification is based on costly experimental campaigns, to account for design, loading cases, manufacturing and testing variabilities, scaling effects and so on. Virtual testing tools including low and high order analytical and numerical tools, as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning can accelerate materials screening and design processes, bringing in transformational changes in aircraft development and certification. The analytical solutions can be used in preliminary designs allowing extensive trade-off studies and layup optimization, while high-fidelity finite element models can be employed to accurately predict the impact response and damage areas in a limited number of scenarios. This study aims to quantify the trade-off between the accuracy and the computational costs of these methods. Using the analytical solution proposed by Esrail and Kassapoglou [1], the stress distribution at peak load along with the resultant delamination was predicted in a composite laminate subjected to a low-velocity impact (LVI) event using an energy minimization and Hertzian contact formulation. A 3-D high-fidelity finite element model for the same LVI damage prediction was developed that took into account failure modes of fibre and matrix such as fibre breakage, splitting and kinking, intelaminar and intralaminar matrix cracking, delamition, as well as the interactions of the different failure modes. The FEM model employed the LaRC05 failure criteria with an efficient search algorithm to find the matrix fracture plane and the fibre kink-band angle. Delamination and its interaction with intra-laminar matrix cracks were also predicted by using inter- and intra-laminar cohesive elements. The damage areas predicted by the high-fidelity model and the analytical solution were compared with experimental results of LVI tests on quasi-isotropic carbon/epoxy (IM7/799-3) laminates. This study offers a case study of the strategies between quick- and efficient analytical solutions, lower-order FEM, and high-fidelity FEM prediction in terms of the trade-off between prediction accuracy and computational time. The study offers an assessment of strategies for aircraft designers, operators and maintenance facilities to make an informed decisions related to aircraft design, certification and maintenance.