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Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Hailstone Ice Ball Impact on Laminated

Composite Structures

Conference Paper · November 2016

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 International NAFEMS Conference on Engineering Analysis,
Modeling, Simulation and 3D-Printing (NAFEMS-3D) – 2016

Hailstone Ice Ball Impact Damage in a Laminated Composite

Stiffened Panel
Sachin D. G.1
sachindgmech@gmail.com

Manjunath S. B.2
Manju042@gmail.com

Dr. H. V. Lakshiminarayana3
hvl_mech2007@reddifmail.com
1
Graduate Student, 2Assistant Professor, 3Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering,
Bengaluru-560078

Abstract
Composite structures designed and developed for aerospace and other engineering
applications are susceptible to hailstone ice ball impact. Structural integrity
assessment (stiffness, strength, durability) of impact damaged composite structures
therefore is the focus of current research world-wide. This paper is a contribution in
this direction. The FEM in general and commercial FEA software in particular
implemented on a desktop computer offers a unified approach for impact damage
tolerance assessment of composite structures. The focus of this paper is on the use of
LS-Dyna software and hailstone ice ball impact on a blade stiffened composite panel.
Finite element modelling using LS-Dyna for soft-body impact analysis is validated
using benchmarks. Material model available in LS-Dyna which can represent the
hailstone ice for impact damage is selected and evaluated. FE model development and
its validation using benchmarks are presented. Ply by ply contour plots of Tsai-Wu
failure index and their ensemble are graphically presented and discussed. The
presentation concludes with identification of work in progress.

Keywords: high strain rate; LS-Dyna; Lagrangian formulation; Smoothed Particle

Hydrodynamic formulation; laminated composite stiffened panel; Tsai-Wu failure criteria;
failure index.

1. Background

Composite materials consisting of stiff and strong fibers (glass, carbon,

Kevlar, carbon nanotube etc.) reinforcing compatible matrices (polymers, metals,
ceramics, carbon etc.) in the form of laminates are engineered materials
extensively used in the design and fabrication of aerospace structures and
components. In service accidental loads commonly include impact events such as

1
bird strike, dropped tool or debris from runways. This was the motivation for
pursuing research on impact damage prediction and verification.
Experimental studies are essential to establish the onset and growth, nature
and extent, shape and size of impact damage in composite laminates and
structures. Computational tools are used for modeling, analysis and simulation of
impact and for predicting strength of damaged structures and components. Finite
Element Modeling for impact analysis frees the design engineer from the need to
approximate the global and local geometries, the laminate constitutive laws and
enables him to simulate a complex strength test of the structure with impact
damage. Finite element modeling is defined here as the analyst’s choice of
material models(constitutive equations and failure criteria), finite elements( type/
shape/ order), meshes, constraints, analysis procedures, governing matrix
equations and their solution methods, specific pre and post processing options
available in LS-Dyna software for hailstone ice ball impact damage predictions
in a laminated composite stiffened panel.
The FE model developed using LS-DYNA is validated using benchmarks.

2. Hailstone Ice Ball Impact On Laminated Composite Stiffened Panel

Problem statement
The dimension of the stiffener is given schematically in Figure 1. It consists of
rectangular skin of dimension 400mm×150mm. The skin panel thickness is 2.7
mm with 24 layers. The staking sequence is [-45°/0°/45°/90°] 3S.each of the ply
is made of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix composite. Three stiffeners
are used which are equally spaced. The stiffeners are also made of same
composite laminate.

Figure 1: Geometric and laminate details of Figure 2: Finite element model of the stiffened
CFRP composite stiffened panel panel

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 International NAFEMS Conference on Engineering Analysis,
Modeling, Simulation and 3D-Printing (NAFEMS-3D) – 2016

Finite Element Model Development

FE modeling of the stiffened panel is made in HyperMesh (Figure 2). Four
noded shell elements are used for discretizing the model. Total number of
elements present in the model is 17464 and total number of nodes present is
11026.

Finite Element modeling of Hailstone Ice

Here for this study the hailstone is modeled using SPH material model
formulations as it proved to be giving good results. Diameter of the spherical ice
ball is 50.8 mm and spherical ice has 65752 grid points (Figure 3).

Figure 3: SPH model

Initial conditions
The hailstone ice given a velocity of 100 m/s. Initial velocity generation card
is used to give the velocity to the projectile hail ice.

Boundary condition
The edges of the composite panel parallel to the stiffener are constrained for
all degrees of freedom. The other two edges perpendicular to the stiffener are
simply supported that is constrained in only z-direction.

Contact definition
Automatic Nodes to Surface contact is used. A segment set created on the
stiffened panel surface acts as slave set segment. A node set created considering
all the nodes of spherical ice acts as master node set.

3. Results Presentation and Discussion

 The deformation pattern of both Hailstone ice ball and stiffened lamented
composite panel is presented in the Figures 4(a)-4(d)

3
 Figure 4(a) : Initial position of the Hailstone ice ball and laminated composite

Figure 4(b) : Deformation at time 0.01ms

Figure 4(c): Deformation at time 0.02 ms

Figure 4(d): Deformation at time 0.05 ms

 The temporal variation of contact force and displacement is displayed

in figure 5(a) and 5(b). The variation of kinetic energy, internal energy
and total energy is also presented in figure 5(c).

Figure 5(a): Temporal variation of kinetic energy

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 International NAFEMS Conference on Engineering Analysis,
Modeling, Simulation and 3D-Printing (NAFEMS-3D) – 2016

Figure 5(b): Temporal variation of displacement along z-direction

i

Figure 5(c) Temporal variation of energies

 Due to the impact of 50.8 mm diameter hailstone at the location of mid

stiffener failure index contours are captured on different layers of the
skin. Maximus damage occurs at the lower layer (opposite to side of
impact) of the skin. The lower layer experiences the tension whereas
upper layer experience compression.

Figure 6(a): Failure index contours of layer with -450 orientation (layer 1)

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 Figure 6(b): Magnified view of failure index contours of layer with -450 orientation (layer 1)

Top view Magnified view Top view Magnified view

Figure 6(C): Failure index contour of layer with 00 Figure 6(d): Failure index contour of layer with 450
orientation (layer 23) orientation (layer 22)

 After the impact of 50.8 mm spherical hailstone ice damage patterns

are observed on the middle stiffener. No significant damage patterns
are observed on the other two side stiffeners. The Tsi-Wu failure index
line contours observed on the different layers of the stiffener is
presented in figures 7(a), 7(b) and 7(c).

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 International NAFEMS Conference on Engineering Analysis,
Modeling, Simulation and 3D-Printing (NAFEMS-3D) – 2016

Figure 7(a): Failure index contour of layer 5(-450 orientation) of stiffener

Figure 7(b): Failure index contour of layer 23(00 orientation) of stiffener

Figure 5: Failure index contour of layer 22(450 orientation) of stiffener

 Ensemble of all the ply failures as viewed from the top and bottom of
the skin panel are presented in figures 8.

Figure 8(a): Top view of ensemble Figure 8(b): bottom view of ensemble

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 4. Summary and Conclusions

 The FEM in general and commercial FEA software LS-DYNA in

particular implemented on a desktop computer is demonstrated in this
study for hailstone ice ball impact damage predicton of a laminated
composite stiffened panel. Obviously the approach can be extended to
real life composite structures in practice.
 In reality the ice ball after impact flows as water and splashes as
particles. It is fete to watch in animation of the simulation of thi s using
the SPH model in LS-DYNA software.
 On set and growth, nature and extent, shape and size of impact damage
varies from ply to ply with time steps. This information is so huge that
only a bit of it is displayed in this paper.
 There is yet another impact damage namely delamination between plies
which is not addressed here. It is the ensemble of ply by ply failure and
delamination between plies over the laminate thickness that quantifies
impact damage. The work is in progress to accomplish this.
 Instrumented impact test and computerized ultrasonic C-scan test are
essential ingredients of impact damage tolerance assement of
composite laminates, components and structures.

References
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Enginering Analysis” , Yes Dee Publishing Pvt Ltd, Chennai, (2016)
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M.Tech(Design Engineering) project report, Dept. of Mech. Engg., DSCE, July 2016.
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