Research 03 / Modelling & validation
Computational mechanics
Finite element simulations reveal how microstructure and strain rate change stress distributions and composite response.
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Research focus
Progressive damage & interfaces
Approach
Modelling & validation
Research context
Research methodology
The research question
How can numerical models reproduce the interacting failure modes that govern composite structural response?
Finite element simulations reveal how microstructure and strain rate change stress distributions and composite response.
Methods & approach
Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit; Fortran VUMAT development; progressive damage and cohesive-zone models; Python automation and parameter studies.
What the research shows
Published bioinspired-composite and hybrid-interface studies use finite element and cohesive-zone modelling to examine deformation, damage and crack propagation. Experimental comparisons provide the basis for judging model predictions.
Contribution & engineering relevance
The work combines material-level constitutive descriptions with structural boundary conditions and interfacial fracture. It links model development to the mechanisms observed in tests.
Validated models support efficient investigation of geometry and material architecture before manufacturing. They also help identify which local mechanisms require experimental attention.