On the high-velocity impact response of bio-inspired interleaved hybrid carbon-fibre reinforced polymer composites

Abstract

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites possess excellent specific in-plane mechanical properties; however, they are susceptible to damage in out-of-plane loading, such as high-velocity impact (HVI). To alleviate this problem, we present a novel methodology for improving the HVI performance of CFRP-based structures. Our novel design consists of a bio-inspired interleaved hybrid layup that significantly improves the damage resistance and energy dissipation in the developed laminate concepts. We applied this methodology to design and manufacture two novel hybrid laminate concepts made of thin- and thick-ply CFRPs that are hybridised with aramid fibres (for one of the concepts) and also titanium foils (for the other concept). We then tested the laminate concepts in HVI ranging from 150 to 300 m/s. Afterwards, we characterised the response in terms of dissipated energy and investigated the failure modes