This work aims to provide a computational tool to calculate composite aeronautical structures such as fuselage and rotor blade, considering large damage capabilities. The computational tool developed was based on the theories proposed by Puck and Matzenmiller. The damage propagation is carried out by progressive failure analysis via a phenomenological approach. The material model separates the mechanisms concerning the fibre and the matrix and addresses them under different perspectives. Some parameters related to the material model were obtained from standardized experimental tests, while the identification of others required the development of special procedures. The material model was implemented as subroutines in FORTRAN language, which were linked to ABAQUS by UMAT/URDFIL. A non-local criterion was used to provide spatial regularization, avoiding numerical convergence problems. In order to perform an automatic identification of the parameters related to the material model, another computational tool was developed. After the identification process, a parametric sensitivity study was carried out using a composite plate with a circular hole. The investigated parameters -finite element mesh size, load step and characteristic radius were selected considering that their influences were supposed to be material independent. Finally, a damage analysis of the same composite plate under a specific loading condition was carried out using the "optimal" values for the investigated parameters. Based on the convergence between the numerical results and experimental data, it can be concluded that the theories and methods applied in this work consisted a good strategy to simulate composite structures in the industry environment.

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