Finite Element Analysis of Carbon Fiber Composite Sandwich Panels Subjected to Wind Debris Impacts

Hurricanes and tornadoes are the most destructive natural disasters in some central and southern states. Thus, storm shelters, which can provide emergency protections for low-rise building residents, are becoming popular nowadays. Both FEMA and ICC have published a series of manuals on storm shelter design. However, the authors found that the materials for related products in the market are heavyweight and hard to deliver and install; renovations are necessary. The authors' previous studies found that lightweight and high-performance composite materials can withstand extreme wind pressure, but some building codes are designated in wind-borne debris areas. In these areas, wind debris can reach greater than 100 mph speed. In addition, the impact damage on the composite materials is an increasing safety issue in many engineering fields; some can cause catastrophic results. Therefore, studying composite structures subjected to wind debris impact is essential. The finite element models are set up using the software Abaqus 2.0 to conduct the simulations to observe the impact resistance behavior of the carbon fiber composite sandwich panels. The selected wood debris models meet the FEMA requirements. The outcome of this study is then employed in future lab tests and compared with other material models.