Simulation of delamination under impact using a global–local method in explicit dynamics

Despite their interest, multi-scale methods based on domain decomposition are rarely used or even implemented within legacy codes. The reason is that their implementation is very demanding and that the robustness of their performance in industrial applications is questionable. In order to try to overcome these limitations, we recently adapted to the case of explicit dynamics a global–local multi-scale method [5]. So far, the method has been implemented in a Matlab code and validated on simple elastic cases. In this paper, we present the implementation of the method in Abaqus/Explicit using its co-simulation features to couple two separate Abaqus/Explicit analyses, running at different scales. The approach is illustrated in the case of the simulation of delamination under high velocity impact. A key aspect of the method, if compared to the one based on domain decomposition, is the fact that the global model covers the whole structure. This feature has been used to treat contact at the global level only, which greatly simplifies the implementation and enhances the computational performance of the method. The effectiveness of the method has been verified by comparing the results with other approaches already available in Abaqus/Explicit: the tie constraint between different regions of the model and the sub-modeling approach. •The paper in the attached presents the implementation in a commercial code of a global–local coupling method for multi-scale applications.•The simulation of delamination in stratified composites has been considered.•The non-intrusivity feature of global–local techniques has been highlighted, considering the implementation of the methodology in a complex commercial software as Abaqus.