Impact Modelling

Composite materials are well-recognised as having unique energy absorbing properties. Taking advantage of these properties, or ensuring that impact events do not compromise structural integrity, requires considerable depth in understanding of these high-speed events.

 ACS Australia’s personnel have not only concentrated on using the latest modelling techniques for accurate impact prediction, but also on accurate characterisation of material behaviour. A suite of characterisation tests developed in-house has minimised the number of assumptions required and provided a high level of model validation.

 We apply this approach to entire composite structures (including fasteners and adhesives), and leverage our extensive knowledge in failure of composites components and assemblies to generate unusually high-accuracy predictions, in applications from aircraft bird strike to automotive energy absorption systems. This knowledge is being further developed, to enable the design and implementation of life-saving crash management systems for helicopters.