Improvements in the Structural Analysis of a Composite Material T-joint Structure

摘要

In this work, a T-joint structure made of woven fabric carbon/epoxy composite hasbeen numerically investigated, using the commercial software LS-DYNA, by referringto previous experimental tests performed by the authors. The analyzed component canbe considered as a simplified version of the real T-joint which connects the B-pillar andthe longitudinal rocker in car body structure. Its mechanical behavior under transversebending has been firstly evaluated through a series of experimental tests and thensimulated with transient nonlinear finite element analysis with explicit time integration.The goal is to properly account nonlinear effects and improve the accuracy of the finiteelement prediction. In particular, the attention has been posed on the nonlinearities dueto the manufacturing process and design of the experimental setup. Parameters relatedto the material properties and to the compliance of constraints are carefully consideredto understand their influence on the load-carrying capacity and the failure mode of thestructure. By properly setting those parameters in LS-DYNA environment, a very goodagreement between experimental and numerical simulation results is obtained.