Modeling Hailstone Impact onto Composite Material Panel Under a Multi-axial State of Stress

Flying through a hailstorm is dangerous not only for the direct damages but also for the hidden damages which may concur to more serious accidents. In this work, hail impact onto composite structure under a multi-axial state of stress is investigated. Initially, a reliable model of a hailstone is developed referring also to the recent research on ice modelling. In parallel, a numerical model to predict delaminations in pre-stressed composite structures caused by low energy impacts is developed and validated against experimental data. Finally, the impact of the hailstone onto a composite structure is simulated.