This course provides a comprehensive treatment of modeling continuous fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials in Ansys LS-DYNA® nonlinear dynamics structural simulation software, covering four major areas: an introduction to composite materials, anisotropic material modeling, multi-layer composite definitions, and delamination modeling.
The course opens with foundational concepts — composite classification, the advantages of fiber-reinforced composites in terms of strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, and the need for orthotropic constitutive descriptions due to their inherently anisotropic behavior. It then covers the micromechanics of a unidirectional lamina, including fiber volume fractions, rule-of-mixtures property estimation, and how to define material coordinate systems in Ansys LS-DYNA software using the AOPT parameter.
A major section walks through the anisotropic material models available for crash simulation, including *MAT_054/055, *MAT_058, *MAT_161/_162, , *MAT_261, and *MAT_262. For each, the course details failure criteria, damage evolution, softening behavior, crashfront algorithms, and history variable outputs, along with guidance on mesh objectivity and fracture energy regularization.
The multi-layer composites section introduces Classical Laminate Theory and practical laminate definition in Ansys LS-DYNA software using keywords like *PART_COMPOSITE{_TSHELL} and *ELEMENT_(T)SHELL_COMPOSITE, with examples demonstrating crash tube simulations across various layup configurations.
The final section covers delamination modeling, including cohesive element formulations, tiebreak contact alternatives, the ARUP Adhesive model, *PART_STACKED_ELEMENTS for simplified multi-layer solid model generation, and mesh dependency solutions.
Learning Outcomes:
Following completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the classification, mechanical behavior, and anisotropic nature of composite materials.
- Estimate unidirectional lamina properties using micromechanical principles and the rule of mixtures.
- Define material coordinate systems and fiber orientations in Ansys LS-DYNA software using the AOPT parameter.
- Select and configure appropriate Ansys LS-DYNA software composite material models for crash and impact simulation.
- Interpret failure criteria, damage evolution, and crashfront parameters and their effect on simulation results.
- Define multi-layer laminates based on the Classical Laminate Theory and Ansys LS-DYNA software composite keywords.
- Model delamination using cohesive elements, cohesive materials, and tiebreak contact formulations.
- Identify and mitigate mesh dependency issues through fracture energy regularization and strength scaling.
Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge on using the Ansys LS-DYNA solver is advantageous. Examples are demonstrated using Ansys LS-PrePost capability – so some basic knowledge on its usage is preferred.
Please note: These training materials were developed and tested in the 2026R1 release.
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