CONTACT MODELLING OF COMPOSITE STRUCTURES USING ADVANCED STRUCTURAL THEORIES

The current work deals with the development of contact modelling capabilities in the framework of the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF), which is a generalised framework for the development of advanced structural theories. The current modelling approach uses 1D elements with Lagrange polynomials being used to enhance the cross-section kinematic field, leading to a layer-wise model and involving purely displacement degrees of freedom. Such a modelling approach results in 3D-like accuracy of the solution, at a significantly reduced computational effort compared to standard 3D – FEA. The current work considers normal, frictionless contact with a node-to-node discretisation, and the penalty approach is used to enforce the contact constraints. The resulting nonlinear analysis is implicitly solved using the Newton-Raphson method. The use of layer-wise modelling in CUF results in a high-fidelity solution which is capable of accurately evaluating the interlaminar stress fields, as well as accounting for transverse stretching. The development is extended to the case of dynamic contact, which uses a combination of node-to-node discretisation and Lagrange Multiplier constraints to model contact. Initial assessments consider elastic impact between two bodies and demonstrate the capability of CUF models in accurately modelling contact/impact.