A Numerical Model for Tri-Axially Braided Composites Under High Velocity Soft Projectile Impact

A simplified methodology has been developed for modeling 2D tri-axially braided composite plates impacted by a soft projectile using an explicit nonlinear finite element analysis code LS-DYNA. Fiber preform architecture is modeled using shell elements by incorporating the fiber preform architecture at the level of integration points. The soft projectile was modeled by an Equation of State (EOS). An arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation is used to resolve numerical problems caused by large projectile deformation. The computed results indicate that this numerical model is able to simulate a tri-axially braided composite undergoing a ballistic impact effectively and accurately, including the deformation and failure with a reasonable level of computational efficiency.