Low velocity impact behavior and simulation of parametric effect analysis for UHMWPE/LLDPE thermoplastic composite laminates

This paper presents computational and experimental investigation of the low velocity impact behavior of nano engineered E-glass fiber reinforced composite laminates. The Tetra Ethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) chemically engineered glass nanofibers were manufactured using electrospinning technique and were investigated for their potential to improve the interlaminar properties. Plain weave fiberglass prepregs were used for manufacturing ten ply thick laminates. For production of the laminates with electrospinning interface layers the addition of the electrospinning sheets and an additional layer of resin film was used. The fabricated laminates were subjected to low velocity impacts of various energy levels to study the progressive damage and deformation mechanics of fiberglass laminates with and without electrospun nanofibers. The low velocity impact behavior was modeled using the transient dynamic finite element program LSDYNA. It was observed that the simulations results are in good agreement with the experimental results for lower impact energies. In addition, the simulated maximum impact force is smaller than the experimental value (soft response) at each drop height and at higher energy levels, the area under impact force vs time increases when electrospun nanofibers are used in the laminates. The study indicates that, the impact duration increases when electrospun nanofibers are used. Impact duration increases due to an additional damage accumulations in electrospun nanofibers layers. Both computational and experimental investigations clearly indicate that inserting interlaminar electrospun nanofiber layers improves the impact resistance of composites by absorbing additional impact energies.

Download Full-text

Low-Velocity Impact Behavior of Interlayer/Intralayer Hybrid Composites Based on Carbon and Glass Non-Crimp Fabric

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma11122472 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 2472 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Chen Zhang ◽

Yunfei Rao ◽

Zhe Li ◽

Wei Li

Keyword(s):

Hybrid Composite ◽

Composite Laminates ◽

Hybrid Composites ◽

Low Velocity Impact ◽

Hybrid Structures ◽

Impact Behavior ◽

Absorbed Energy ◽

Low Velocity ◽

Velocity Impact ◽

Impact Tests

Composites have gained wide use in structural applications; however, they are sensitive to impact damage. The use of hybrid composites is an effective way to overcome this deficiency. The effects of various hybrid structures of interlayer and intralayer warp-knitted fabrics with carbon and glass fibers on the low-velocity impact behavior of composite laminates were studied. Drop-weight impact tests were conducted on two types of interlayer, sandwich and intralayer hybrid composite laminates, which were compared with homogenous composite laminates. During low-velocity impact tests, the time histories of impact forces and absorbed energy by laminate were recorded. The failure modes were analyzed using the micro-CT (computed tomography) and C-scan techniques. The results revealed that the hybrid structure played an important role in peak force and the absorbed energy, and that the hybrid interface had an influence on damage modes, whereas the intralayer hybrid composite laminate damage was affected by the impact location. The intralayer hybrid laminate with C:G = 1:1 exhibited better impact resistance compared to the other hybrid structures.

Download Full-text