Mechanical performance assessment and dynamic crash simulation of composite materials

In this PhD thesis, several technological aspects regarding the use of fibre reinforced composite materials are presented. The crashworthiness topic is studied with the aim to build and calibrate a numerical damage model for the prediction of the energies absorbed during axial crush of a sample specimen. A full experimental characterisation campaign is implemented, and several simulations are used to reach the final validation stage. Following, a small-scale test setup was developed and built to measure the permeability of dry reinforcement, necessary to predict and simulate the flow front propagation in resin injection processes. Test results are compared with experimental trials. Finally, an overview on innovative metal-composite bonding techniques using additive manufacturing processes is presented, highlighting the principal design variables that come into play in developing such advanced connections.