Prediction of fatigue damage for composite laminate using impact response

Abstract

This paper proposes an impact response model that can be used to compute the fatigue damage. The prediction of fatigue damage can be made through investigation of impact response. Stiffness reduction in composite laminate induced by matrix cracking or delamination is an important measure of fatigue damage. And stiffness reduction affects impact response. The objective of the present study is to identify a correlation between fatigue damage showing as stiffness degradation and the corresponding impact response. In this paper, impact response characteristic induced by stiffness reduction is investigated using simplified methods. And the predicted impact force histories are compared with the numerical ones from the impact response analysis using FEM.