Low-Velocity Impact on GLARE 5 Fiber-Metal Laminates: Influences of Specimen Thickness and Impactor Mass

Impact response and damage induced by a drop-weight instrument on glass reinforced (GLARE) 5 fiber-metal laminates of different thicknesses were studied. The effect of the impactor mass was also considered. The damage characteristics were evaluated using both the nondestructive ultrasonic and mechanical-sectioning techniques. Only the contour of the entire damage area can be obtained using ultrasonic C-scan; whereas, more details of the damage are provided through the mechanical cross-sectioning technique. Thicker GLARE 5 offers higher impact resistance. It was found that the failure mode changed with varying thickness and impactor mass. Panels that were tested with the lighter impactor mass would reach the perforation limit faster than the panels tested with the heavier impactor mass for the same impact energy. It was observed that the critical behaviors of the fiber and aluminum depended on the thickness of the panel. Threshold cracking energy varied parabolically with respect to the specimen thickness. Thus, impact energy alone cannot be used as a scale parameter of damage size. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0000134. (C) 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.