DefinePK

Abstract

Laminated composite materials are extensively used in aerospace and marine industries because of their advantageous ratio between high stiffness and low weight as well as high strength and low weight. However, in this application these composites are subjected to low-velocity impact due to birds, hail, and rain and from dropped tools used during manufacture or maintenance. Low velocity impact damage is often internal and invisible, but can minimize the residual strength. In this study, the residual tensile strength of three stacking sequences of Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) composites is determined after low velocity impact experimentally using threshold energy. A model has been selected based on linear elastic fracture mechanics for predicting residual strength of impacted GFRP composites. Experimental results show the reliability of the model in the field of low velocity impact and its usefulness in determining the residual tensile strength. The correlation between the analytical and experimental results was found to be very good. The determination of residual strength in impacted laminates is very useful for predicting product-life cycle.