IMPACT RESPONSE OF AUTOMATED FIBRE PLACEMENT ADVANCED PLACED PLY COMPOSITES

This research focuses on the impact response of Automated Fibre Placement Advanced Placed Ply (AP-PLY) laminates. Panels with different internal mesoestructure are subjected to low velocity impact and compression after impact experiments to evaluate their damage tolerance. The development of matrix cracks during impact is observed in-situ by high-speed imagining. The internal architecture of the laminates is found to have a significant influence on their performance. Pseudo-homogeneous mesostructures with through-thickness undulations and individual tows are observed to act as effective crack arrestors, resulting in reduced in-plane delamination and relatively high residual strengths due to the higher resistance to buckling of the sublaminates. However, cross-ply panels exhibit a poor impact performance with large delamination footprints and a drastic loss in residual strength when subjected to 50 J of impact energy. These findings indicate that AFP AP-PLY laminates are appropriate for composite structures with enhanced impact performance, and can replace conventional angle-ply composite laminates in dynamic applications. This technology has the potential to be employed for high-value applications within the transportation industry.