Analysis of low velocity impact properties of basalt fiber composites considering strain rate effect

This study focuses on the strain rate effect on the mechanical properties and damage evolution of basalt fiber reinforced composites subjected to low-velocity impact. A constitutive model is developed to accurately analyze the failure behavior of BFRP laminates. The strain-rate-dependent (SRD) model puts emphasis on a modified stress-strain relationship described by dynamic increase factor (DIF) to update mechanical properties timely during the impact loading and the damage evolution simulation is performed with the finite element code of ABAQUS software. The results shown in the LVI simulation confirmed the validity of the SRD model in comparison with the conclusions of experiments. Furthermore, detailed comparisons are discussed between the strain rate dependent (SRD) model and the strain rate independent (SRI) model under various simulations of different impact energy, thickness, and ply angles of laminates.