Damage characterisation and residual strength of laminated composite components under low-velocity impact
Lead academic: Dr Y Xu & Dr W Tiu
Supporting Academic: Dr Y Chen, Dr G Haritos, Dr A Chrysanthou
Research Students: Y Xu, Z Shen
Financial support: £30,000
Industrial Partner: Airbus UK Ltd
Period: April 2006 – June 2008, October 2010 – September 2013
A popular solution to the ever-demanding weight-saving requirement in the transport industries is to replace the conventional metal alloys with composite laminates for primary structures. A dominant weakness of this material configuration is the low velocity impact damage which may be introduced accidentally during manufacture, operation or maintenance of the component.
The project aims to achieve further understanding of the damage mechanisms of composite laminates under low velocity impact. A thorough investigation of the key damage features of laminated carbon fibre reinforced composite components under low velocity impact has been carried out through instrumented drop-weight tests and finite element simulation.
The results will help establish an improved design philosophy by investigating relationships between impact energy, damage mechanisms and their effect on residual strength and local instability.
Image: Finite element simulation of composite laminate under low-velocity impact.