Finite element analysis of hypervelocity impact behaviour of CFRP-Al/HC sandwich panel

The mechanical response of CFRP-Al/HC (carbon fibre-reinforced/epoxy composite face sheets with Al honeycomb core) sandwich panels to hyper-velocity impact (up to 1 km/s) is studied using a finite-element model developed in ABAQUS/Explicit. The intraply damage of CFRP face sheets is analysed by mean of a user-defined material model (VUMAT) employing a combination of Hashin and Puck criteria, delamination modelled using cohesive-zone elements. The damaged Al/HC core is assessed on the basis of a Johnson Cook dynamic failure model while its hydrodynamic response is captured using the Mie-Gruneisen equation of state. The results obtained with the developed finite-element model showed a reasonable correlation to experimental damage patterns. The surface peeling of both face sheets was evident, with a significant delamination around the impact location accompanied by crushing HC core.