Experimental and numerical simulation research on the one-sided heating thermal response of composite laminates

Abstract Composites were used in a wide variety of fields due to their excellent properties. When heated, the temperature of the material increases, causing damage which impairs its performance. In this paper, the thermal response of carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates under thermal radiation loading was analyzed experimentally and numerically. The study recorded the specimen temperature and load data and examined the damage to the specimen using electron microscopy. A finite element model was developed based on ABAQUS and its subroutines UMATHT and USDFLD. In addition, the validity of the model was verified by comparing it with the experimental results. By analysing the computational and experimental results, it was found that the material damage of the composites under thermal radiation was mainly caused by resin deficiency. Temperature and pyrolysis evolution over time were further analyzed, showing that both thermal conduction and pyrolysis exhibit lagging characteristics within the material. This research provides engineering guidance for the practical application of fiber reinforced composites in thermal protection and structural design.