From small coupons to mid-scale impacted specimens, how to predict laminate failure?

International audienceThe development and certification of aeronautical composite structures is still largely based on the pyramid of tests. This approach requires a large number of tests going from the coupon to the full-size aircraft. To reduce the associated costs, predictive modelling methodologies are developed in several research centers [1]-[4]. Out of plane stresses emanating from impacts are well known to be critical for the residual compressive strength of laminated composites. To design composites structures, engineers use a damage tolerance approach following standards of low velocity impact and compression after impact tests [1], [2]. These standardized tests do not represent real structural loadings because of their conservative uniaxial boundary conditions that do not allow post-buckling failures. In this work, medium-scaled specimens are impacted at medium velocities with a gas launcher then multi-axially loaded in order to analyze interactions between impact damage and postbuckling