Simulation of Energy Absorption in Braided Composite Tubes through Axial Crushing

Modeling damage propagation and energy absorption in composite tubular structures under axial compression is a challenging task due to the complex nature of damage growth in composites. In this paper, our model (CODAM for COmposite DAMage), which is incorporated into LS-DYNA® as a user material model, is used to simulate the axial crushing response of braided composite tubes. Recent improvements to the finite element model include the addition of a debris wedge, representation of delamination using a tiebreak contact interface, and more physically based model parameters. It is shown that the damage propagation, fracture morphology and energy absorption predictions correlate well with the experimental results.