Laminate composites behavior under quasi-static and high velocity perforation

Abstract

In this paper, the behavior of woven E-glass fabric composite laminate was experimentally investigated under quasi-static indentation and high velocity impact by flat-ended, hemispherical, conical (cone angle of 37° and 90°) and ogival (CRH of 1.5 and 2.5) cylindrical perforators. Moreover, the results are compared in order to explore the possibility of extending quasi-static indentation test results to high velocity impact test results in different characteristics such as perforation mechanisms, performance of perforators, energy absorption, friction force, etc. The effects of perforator nose shape, nose length and nose-shank connection shapes were investigated. The results showed that the quasi-static indentation test has a great ability to predict the high velocity impact behavior of the composite laminates especially in several characteristics such as perforation mechanisms, perforator performance. In both experiments, the highest performance occurs for 2.5 CRH projectile and the lowest is related to blunt projectiles. The results show that sharp perforators indicate lower values of dynamic enhancement factor and the flat-ended perforator represents the maximum dynamic enhancement factor among other perforators. Moreover, damage propagation far more occurred in high velocity impact tests then quasi-static tests. The highest damage area is mostly observed in ballistic limit of each projectile which projectile deviation strongly increases this area.