Transient dynamic response of debonded sandwich plates predicted with finite element analysis

Dynamic transient response of a composite sandwich plate with a penny-shaped debonded zone has been studied by using the finite element analysis within the ABAQUS/Explicit code in this paper. In order to accurately predict the response of the debonded sandwich plate to impulsive loading, contact–impact and sliding conditions along the damaged skin-to-core interface were imposed in the model through a kinematic predictor/corrector contact algorithm. The accuracy of the finite element (FE) model used was verified by comparing between numerical predictions and experimental data known in literature for the frequency spectrum of a cracked polycarbonate laminated beam containing a delamination. By analyzing nonlinear aspects of the transient dynamics of the sandwich plate, it is shown that the presence of the debond significantly alters its short-term response. In this respect, a considerable influence of contact events within the debonded region on the plate’s global dynamic response was found out. These results were presented in both time and frequency domains. The predictions performed also showed that the FE model applied would be useful for nondestructive evaluation of defects in composite sandwich plates, and for studying dynamic response of such plates to impact.