Residual Flexural Strength After Low-Velocity Impact in Glass/Polyester Composite Beams Articles uri icon

publication date

  • January 2010

start page

  • 25

end page

  • 30

issue

  • 1

volume

  • 92

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0263-8223

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1879-1085

abstract

  • This work focuses on an experimental study of flexural after impact behaviour of glass/polyester composite beams. The influence of impact energy, beam width, and impactor-nose geometry on the residual flexural
    strength was evaluated. Two widths of plain woven laminate specimens
    were selected. For each specimen width, the geometries of two
    impactor-noses (Charpy and hemispherical) were chosen to carry out
    impact tests using a three-point bending device, so that four different
    test configurations were executed. The residual flexural strength of
    damaged specimens, evaluated by quasi-static three-point bending tests,
    was found to depend on the extent of the damage, so that the residual
    flexural strength was lower in the specimens in which the damage reached
    the edges of the beam. For this reason, the residual strength was lower
    in specimens impacted with a Charpy-nose impactor than in the specimens
    impacted with a hemispherical-nose impactor. Analogously, the narrower
    specimens presented a lower residual flexural strength than did the
    wider ones.