• Abaqus
• CAI
• Carbon-epoxy laminated plates
• Compression after impact
• Delaminations
• FEM
• Low velocity impacts
• LVI

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers have excellent specific properties, but they present also new and not yet completely understood damaging processes. Delaminations, above all the damage mechanisms, is the most dangerous for the aerospace structures, because of their difficult detectability and the associated strength reduction, especially regarding compression strength. Indeed this is the dimensioning property for damage tolerance. The experimental campaigns are characterized by high costs, so the development of reliable numerical tools, capable of correctly modelling the onset and propagation of delaminations, is the key for lighter and safer structures. The purpose of this work is to expand the knowledge on innovative techniques for the simulation of delaminations. Moreover another aim is to correctly set the composite properties through ASTM standard tests such as DCB, ENF and ILSS to match the experimental impact tests. The interlaminar behavior is simulated using Abaqus cohesive elements and the models are generated via advanced Python scripts. Standard low velocity impact tests on multi-directional laminates are simulated and results in terms of forces and delaminated areas are assessed. Ultimately, it is shown that the adopted techniques well predict delaminations caused by impact events onset and their propagation.