Characterisation of Strain rate Dependent Material Properties of Textile Reinforced Thermoplastics for Crash and Impact Analysis

The strain rate dependent in-plane and through-thickness deformation and failure behaviour of textile reinforced polypropylene is investigated. An efficient in-plane parameter identification method based on rheological models is presented. Additionally, dynamic tensile, compression and shear tests were performed with woven and knitted textile reinforced thermoplastic composite specimens. As a result, the experimental methodology as well as strain rate dependent stiffness and strength properties within a strain rate range of 10−5 up to 103 1/s are presented. A phenomenological 3D material model based on the Cuntze failure criteria, accounting for strain rate dependency and damage evolution is implemented in Abaqus/Explicit. The user defined material model (VUMAT) is used for finite element (FE) studies of the crash and impact experiments. Exemplary numerical predictions are presented and compared.