Charpy impact tests on composite bars – An experimental and damage investigation

Composite materials can provide a reasonable response to dynamic loads with the additional advantages of weight savings and structural stiffness. In order to efficiently design composite structures for such loads, reliable experimental data is required. This paper deals with the experimental investigation of various composite bars under low-velocity impact and damage analysis. Experimental investigations in a Charpy test were conducted in order to identify key parameters influencing the impact damage resistance of composite structures. The post failure damage analysis was performed to identify the damage mechanisms in the failure area. The reference unidirectional composite bars are compared with the environmentally conditioned structures in order to simulate harsh conditions while those materials are in-service. The conducted analysis showed the impact of harsh conditions on the energy that can be absorbed in an unconditioned material.