Damage Tolerance and Assessment of Unidirectional Carbon Fiber Composites

Composites are beginning to be used in a variety of different applications throughout industry. However, certification and damage tolerance is a growing concern in many aerospace and marine applications. Although compression-after-impact have been studied thoroughly, determining a damage tolerance methodology that accurately characterizes the failure of composites has not been established. An experimental investigation was performed to study the effect of stacking sequence, low-velocity impact response, and residual strength due to compression and fatigue. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) captured the strains and deformation of the plate due to compression. Computational investigations integrated non-destructive techniques (C-Scan, X-Ray) to determine the extent of the damage created by the manufacturing process and impact to accurately create a representative of the pre-existing damage. Fiber/matrix cracking, delamination growth, buckling, as well as other failures mechanisms occur in compression-after-impact laminated specimens examined experimentally. The results from this study provide knowledge of the compression after impact strength of plates, and a basis for validation of detailed modeling of progressive failure from impact damaged composites