Assessment of Residual Tensile Strength of Carbon/Epoxy Composites Subjected to Low-Energy Impact
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an experimental study to investigate the effects of impact loading on the residual tensile strength of woven graphite epoxy laminates with a toughened resin system. In this study, both cross-ply, , and angle-ply, , laminate lay-up configurations were studied and compared. Test specimens were subjected to various levels of impact loading, after which tensile pull tests were performed to determine the residual tensile strength properties. The study results demonstrated that impact damage causes a significant reduction in tensile strength properties of woven cross-ply [0°/90°] laminates. For example, cross-ply laminated composite specimens subjected to the lowest impact level, , exhibited a 25% decrease in ultimate tensile strength. Angle-ply woven laminates , however, exhibited an 18% increase in ultimate tensile strength after being subjected to impact. This characteristic of increasing tensile strength in specimens is an example of increased fiber reorientation in composite laminates with limited fiber damage.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 4 • October 2008
Pages: 249 - 258
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 26, 2007
Accepted: Aug 13, 2007
Published online: Oct 1, 2008
Published in print: Oct 2008
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