CZone

Composite Crush Modelling without Non-Physical Variables

For many years the finite element analysis community has attempted to develop reliable composite crash simulations. Engenuity carried out extensive reviews of the capabilities of programs such as LS-Dyna Mat54 and Mat58, PamCrash, Radioss and MSC.Dytran without finding a solution that can satisfy the dual needs of predicting failure in the back-up structure and also in the area where the material fragments and absorbs energy in the process at the crush front. The crashworthiness working group of Composite Materials Handbook CMH-17 have undertaken a similar exercise and it is apparent that all the conventional codes require the use of non-physical parameter variables. The sensitivity to factors such as element size, contact definition, load–penetration curve, crush front softening parameter, among others makes these approaches unsuitable for predictive analysis.  

CZone is the answer. It uses the standard FEM product development route; characterise the material, create the model, use the results to optimize the design. You can be confident the model will correlate with the physical test without tweaking mathematical expedients. 

CZone simultaneously predicts both the crush front and failure in the back up structure

Characterising Composite Materials for Crush Stress & SEA

At Engenuity’s in-house test laboratory we have designed and built a custom drop tower specifically for measuring dynamic compression energy absorption and crush stress. By varying impact speed we vary strain rate, with high speed cameras running DIC to recover 2D strain. This data can then be used by CZone and other software packages for more accurate crash predictions. 

Learn more about crush stress testing here.

Making Accurate Crash Predictions

The CZone Technology is commercially available as CZone for Abaqus, an add-in for Simulia’s Abaqus/Explicit finite element analysis software worldwide through the Simulia sales channel.  

For alternative ways of making use of CZone without requiring an Abaqus/Explicit license, please get in touch.