Effect of reinforcement shear and mesoscopic defects on the low velocity impact behavior of a GFRP

This paper presents an experimental study of the effect of mesoscopic buckles defect and reinforcement shear, which result from forming, on the low velocity impact behavior of a composite laminate. The material studied is a glass/polyester composite with three layers of mat and one layer of taffeta fabric. To assess the properties induced on the final composite, plates with different amplitudes of calibrated defects and deformations were manufactured. First, the healthy material, which serves as a reference, was subjected to three levels of impact energy to observe the evolution of its behavior and damage mechanisms. Results of the impact tests and observations performed on the materials with calibrated defects identified a negative effect of buckling on elastic parameters and revealed greater damage relative to the healthy material. The reinforcement shear had a beneficial effect on the impact properties of the laminate, which was attributed to the increase in local fiber density.