Progressive Damage Analysis of CFRP Composites Under Low‐Velocity Impact at Various Temperatures

ABSTRACT Carbon fiber‐reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are extensively used in the automotive and aerospace industries due to their superior strength‐to‐weight ratios, yet their impact response is strongly affected by operational temperatures. Understanding the combined influence of temperature and impact energy is essential for reliable structural design. This study develops a temperature‐dependent progressive damage finite element model to investigate the thermo‐mechanical response of CFRP composites subjected to low‐velocity impacts, when the temperatures of 20°C, 50°C, 80°C are considered. The modeling framework integrates the 3D Hashin failure criterion for intra‐laminar damage and a cohesive zone model for delamination. Model predictions show strong agreement in peak force and impact duration, demonstrating the accuracy and reliability for high‐energy, temperature‐sensitive impact simulations. Results indicate that while temperature primarily reduces peak force of an impact, it does not significantly alter overall impact behavior. Damage evolution analysis shows that delamination increases with impact energy but decreases at elevated temperatures. At 50°C–80°C, reversible matrix softening suppresses the onset of delamination initiation by enhanced plastic deformation and internal friction. Furthermore, permanent indentation depth is more strongly influenced by impact energy than by temperature. These findings provide valuable insights into the impact performance of CFRP composite structures across a broad range of operational temperatures.