Because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, laminated composites continue to be an attractive alternative to conventional monolithic media in the design of impact resistant structures. Unfortunately, the high cost of production has been a major limiting factor in the usage of laminated composites in design applications. Contributing to this cost is the complexity of the design process, which calls for an increased number of parameters necessary for the optimal design of impact resistant laminated composite structures. One way to address this complexity is through the use of damage models. Properly constructed damage models have the potential to reduce the cost of design and promote the increased usage of laminated composites in design applications. This paper demonstrates the effective use of cohesive zone modeling to determine the optimal laminate configurations for impact resistant composites. A nonlinear finite element algorithm equipped with a micromechanically based viscoelastic cohesive zone model is used to predict the cumulative damage in composite laminates subjected to impact. Several composite layups have been studied to determine an optimal design configuration. Some analytical predictions have been provided for a comparison with the numerical results.
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