Volume 9, Issue 1, 2000

Damage Tolerance of Composite Materials Subject to Dynamic Flexural Tests

B. Lamy*, E. Dixneuf

Department of Mechanic and Materials, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, 1 rue de la Noë, BP 92101,   F 44321 NANTES Cedex 03, France

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed

(Received 10/99; accepted 1/00)

Abstract

Experiments were conducted in order to study damage process generated on particular composite materials by low energy impacts. Woven and knitted reinforcement- structures were tested using a Charpy test. Experimental laws and analytical models characterising the damage evolution in these composite materials subjected to successive impacts are proposed and compared. Damage processes are different in both composites. The rupture of the woven composites is controlled by crackings and delaminations, the latter does not occur in the knitted ones. These analyses emphasise the interest of using knitted reinforcements in composite materials.