Effects of impact energy, velocity, and impactor mass on the damage induced in composite laminates and sandwich panels

Results of an experimental investigation into the low-velocity impact response of carbon fibre reinforced laminates and sandwich structures are presented. Six different impact tests have been performed on the composite laminates and sandwich panels with impact energy levels ranging from 17.13 to 154.18 J. Two types of loading conditions were implemented: (1) impacts by the impactors having the same mass and variable impact velocities resulting in different impact energy levels; (2) impacts with the same level of energy (equivalent energy impacts) and different impactor masses with corresponding (different) velocities. The experiments probed the effects of impactor mass, velocity, and different impact energy levels by analysing the patterns of induced damage, energy absorption, penetration resistance and force-displacement response. Microscopic non-intrusive damage assessment procedures were employed to investigate various damage modes induced by the drop weight impact depending on the impact of velocities and impactor masses.