Experimental Investigation of Woven E-Glass Epoxy Composite Laminates Subjected to Low-Velocity Impact at Different Energy Levels

N. Rajesh Mathivanan, J. Jerald

Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology,Tiruchirappalli - 15, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2010.97046                

Abstract

This work presents the results of an experimental investigation concerning the low-velocity impact response of woven glass fiber epoxy matrix composite laminates. Experimental tests were performed according to ASTM standards using an instrumented falling weight impact testing machine. Impact tests were conducted to characterize the type and extent of the damages observed in laminate subjected to different impact velocities: 2 to 4.5 m/sec. The response of these laminates to drop-weight low velocity impact at energy levels ranging from 3 to 15 J was investigated. At impact velocity of 4.429 m/sec, there is clearly a catastrophic failure of laminates. It was found that the laminates exhibited two types of failure modes viz., crack initiation and perforation of the laminate.

Keywords

Composite laminates; Low-velocity impact; Impact testing

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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