Compression after impact (CAI) failure mechanisms and damage evolution in large composite laminates: High-fidelity simulation and experimental study

•The standard-sized 100 mm × 150 mm compression after impact (CAI) coupons are inadequate for high-energy impact scenarios.•Larger 254 mm × 304.8 mm specimens with the proposed support plates can be used to assess a wider range of impact scenarios.•The high-fidelity FE model can accurately predict the compression after impact (CAI) behavior of composite laminates.•Fiber breakage, pull-out, splitting, kinking, crushing, as well as matrix cracking and delamination are predicted.•The detailed damage occurrence sequences during CAI tests are predicted by analyzing the histories of dissipated energies. This study focuses on developing and validating a high-fidelity finite element model for predicting damage evolution and residual strength in fiber-reinforced composite panels. Impact and compression after impact (CAI) tests were conducted at both barely visible impact damage (BVID) and clearly visible impact damage (CVID) levels. The ASTM D7137 standard 100 mm × 150 mm CAI coupons were inadequate to cover the range of experimental studies required for model validation. Therefore, larger 254 mm × 304.8 mm laminates were investigated under two CAI testing conditions: one a scaled-up version of ASTM standard coupon, and the other with additional anti-buckling support plates to reduce unsupported areas to 127 mm × 177.8 mm. The model captured inter- and intra-laminar failure modes, including fiber breakage, splitting, kinking, pull-out, and crushing as well as matrix cracking, delamination, and their interactions. This was achieved by cohesive zone modeling technique and enhancement of the LaRC05 failure criteria through modeling the fiber damage evolution and utilizing an efficient search algorithm to determine the matrix fracture plane and fiber kink band angle. This study underscores the efficacy of the high-fidelity modeling approach in accurately predicting both impact damage and CAI strength in typical aircraft impact damage scenarios. Additionally, it provides insights into complex CAI failure mechanisms and energy release associated with various damage modes and highlights the effect of global buckling on the failure behavior and compressive strength of composite laminates. Furthermore, it shows that the proposed fixture with support plates is suitable for testing a broader range of impact scenarios without experiencing global buckling.