Numerical and experimental structural characterization of composite advanced joint for ultra light aerospace platforms

In the present work, the results of a numerical campaign aimed to evaluate the progressive damage failure analysis (PDFA) of a specific advanced pin-hole connection under tensile and compressive loads are presented. The proposed numerical models are based on the application of constitutive material models available in LSDYNA. High fidelity shell-cohesive method was employed to represent composite delamination behavior. In this model each lamina has been modeled separately with the application of interlaminar cohesive elements. Preliminary experimental/numerical correlation indicates that the selected modeling technique predicts experimental results when compared to the proposed laboratory test results. A reduced computational cost has been also determined. The location and extension of the predicted fracture during the damage process are comparable to experimental observations. The proposed methodology demonstrates its preliminary ability to be used for design of composite joints up to failure. Specific outcomes have been also pointed out.