Post-impact mechanical characterisation of E-glass/basalt woven fabric interply hybrid laminates

Post-impact properties of different configurations (symmetrical and non-symmetrical) of hybrid laminates including E-glass and basalt fibre composites, all with volume fraction of fibres equal to 0.38±0.02 and manufactured by RTM, have been studied. With this aim, interlaminar shear strength tests and four-point flexural tests of laminates impacted with different energies (0, 7.5, 15 and 22.5 J) have been performed. Acoustic emission (AE) localisation and AE evolution with applied flexural stress was studied to support impact damage characterisation, provided by SEM and transient thermography. The results indicate that a symmetrical configuration including E-glass fibre laminate as a core for basalt fibre laminate skins presents the most favourable degradation pattern, whilst intercalation of layers may bring to further improvement of the laminate properties, but also to more extended and complex damage patterns