Continuous Fiber Reinforced Plastics Modeling in Ansys LS-DYNA Solver

This course provides a comprehensive treatment of modeling continuous fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite materials in Ansys LS-DYNA 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.