A review on low velocity impact study of hybrid polymer composites

Abstract

Fibre reinforced composites are rapidly gaining popularity in structural applications but lack of toughness limits their further growth. Fibre hybridization can be considered as a solution for toughening the composite materials which in turn increases the impact resistance. Low velocity impact in composites poses a severe threat as it causes various internal damages as well as complex mechanisms of failure, which culminate in a substantial reduction in the composite structural properties. In the aerospace industry, it is critical to study more about low velocity impact for the prediction of such damage initiation and propagation. The understanding of low velocity impact includes not just the phenomena of impact, but also other factors such as how the impact response is affected by the properties of the materials. This study presents a review on the low velocity impact study on hybrid composites, and on the various factors affecting the impact properties such as resin toughness, fibre architecture as well as hybridization. It further explores damage progression and analysis, followed by various non-destructive testing techniques and the principles employed in them.