1. Modeling and damage repair of woven thermoplastic composites subjected to low velocity impact
- Author
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Reyes, German and Sharma, Uday
- Subjects
- *
THERMOPLASTIC composites , *CONTINUUM damage mechanics , *LAMINATED materials , *GLASS fibers , *POLYPROPYLENE fibers , *BENDING (Metalwork) , *IMPACT (Mechanics) , *STRUCTURAL plates - Abstract
Abstract: The low velocity impact behavior of three layer thermoplastic laminates consisting of woven glass fiber and polypropylene has been investigated for two different fiber volume configurations. Panels with configurations of 50/50 and 20/80 in the warp and fill directions were subjected to low velocity impact energies between 4 and 16J using an instrumented dropping weight impact tower. Load vs. displacement plots showed the excellent energy absorbing capabilities exhibited by the woven composites. Both configurations dissipated approximately 75% of the 16J incident impact energy. An energy-balance model was used to successfully predict the impact response of the woven thermoplastic composites. The impact damaged plates were tested under four point bend (4PB) loading conditions. Results showed a reduction in flexural strength and modulus as the impact energy increased. A simple compression molding damage repair process was applied to the 16J impacted composite plates. 4PB testing of the repaired samples revealed a significant recovery in the flexural strength and modulus of the thermoplastic woven composite with both fiber configurations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...
- Published
- 2010
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