Effects of laminate thickness and ply-stacking sequence on the low velocity impact resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced laminates

Abstract

Carbon/epoxy pre-impregnated has become one of the most demanded materials for some aeronautics structures. Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are pioneers in incorporating carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials in primary structures as wings and airframe. Tailoring the laminate ply sequence involves a difficult challenge owing to the rigorous design and operational criteria. Given that composite materials present a high sensitivity to impact loads, it has been indispensable to examine the influence of different factors in the failure mechanisms after an impact event. In this work, the effect of impact energy, stacking sequence and thickness on the impact damage resistance of CFRP composites was investigated. Damage response parameters as peak force, absorbed energy and delamination threshold were obtained from the impact curves. Then, a C-Scan imagen showed the damage extension using the non-destructive inspection Phased Array.

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