Abstract
There are limited information available in the body of knowledge regarding to the low velocity impact damage characteristics of sustainable bio-based such as flax fibre reinforced composites. This paper presents the results of full investigation of impact damage mechanisms on flax/vinyl ester laminated composite and flax-glass/vinyl ester hybrid composite laminates caused by low-velocity impact using a drop weight impact machine. The specimens were subjected to incident energy levels of 25 J and 50 J, in order to achieve a damage up to perforation and complete penetration. A 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model was also developed using Hashin failure criteria. The damage and the predicted delaminations were compared using a high-resolution micro-Computed Tomography (μ-CT) technique. The results of the numerical analysis correlated well with the experiments and the imaging, which provided a full verification of the exact position of delaminations due to impact within the composite laminates.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 111224 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Composite Structures |
| Volume | 226 |
| Early online date | 10 Jul 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Low-velocity impact
- natural fibre composites
- finite element analysis
- delamination
- μ-CT imaging