Material modeling for the simulation of quasi-continuous mode conversion during Lamb wave propagation in CFRP-layers

The homogenization of material parameters layer by layer is a mostly sufficient method for the simulation of Lamb wave propagation in carbon fiber reinforced plastics. But since current experimental investigations of the wave behavior in undamaged CFRP structures reveal an effect called “quasi-continuous mode conversion”, which can not be reproduced with this layer-wise homogenization procedure, an improved material model for the finite element analysis of the Lamb wave propagation is presented in this work. The used 2D plane strain state model considers the random distribution of fibers in the matrix material on the microscale by homogenized subdomains and thereby properly capture the “quasi-continuous mode conversion” effect. Numerical investigations of the influence of the material model on the developing wave modes in a unidirectional layer will complete the work.