Influence of patch lay-up configuration and hybridization on low velocity impact and post-impact tensile response of repaired glass fiber reinforced plastic composites

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effect of homogenous and hybrid external patches based on plain weave woven glass and Kevlar fabric on low velocity impact and quasi-static tensile after impact response of adhesively bonded external patch repairs in damaged glass/epoxy composite laminates. In all hybrid patches, the proportion of Kevlar and glass fibers were equal (i.e. 50% of Kevlar and 50% of glass by volume fraction), while lay-up configuration was different. This further enables to study the associated effect of hybridization and lay-up configuration on impact response of the repaired laminates. The intent of using hybrid external patches is to combine the excellent high displacement-to-failure property of Kevlar fiber as a ductile reinforcement with the superior mechanical property of glass fiber as a brittle reinforcement. The effect of glass/Kevlar content on impact response and tensile after impact response was investigated for various incident impact energy levels, such as 2, 4, 6, and 8 J. Results showed that hybridization and lay-up configurations of the external patches played a significant role on low velocity impact and quasi-static tensile after impact response of the repaired glass/epoxy specimens. Specimens repaired using intra-ply hybrid patches showed better impact properties and damage tolerance capability than that of the virgin and other repaired specimens. In specific, the use of intra-ply hybrid patches reduced the impact energy absorption by 10.17% in comparison to the virgin specimens at impact energy of 8 J.