Glass fibre/polyester composites under ballistic impact
Michał Barcikowski Politechnika Szczecińska, Instytut Polimerów, Zakład Technologii Materiałów Polimerowych, Pułaskiego 10, 70-322 Szczecin, Poland
Quarterly No. 1, 2008 pages 70-76
DOI:
keywords: composites, laminates, impact testing, RTM, ballistic performance
abstract This work presents results of ballistic impact tests on glass-fibre/polyester laminates. An effort has been made to manufacture composites with improved tolerance to ballistic impact using inexpensive, common materials like fibreglass and unsaturated polyester resin, by means of modern, yet popular moulding technology. Laminates were made using various E-type glass fibre reinforcements: chopped strand mat, continuous filament mat, cloth and two different woven rovings, with varying weight. Varying number of reinforcement layers were tested, as well as varying reinforcement-to-matrix ratio - from 20 to 60% vol. Samples of manufactured laminates were subjected to impact by a 3 g spherical hardened steel impactor moving at the velocity of 60 and 70 m/s (giving 5.4 and 7.35 Joules of kinetic energy, accordingly) using a gas gun test assembly. Samples were subsequently scanned using optical flat-bed scanner and the obtained images were digitally processed by software to measure the extent of delamination. Two ways of interpreting the extent of delamination in composites were tested - through the evaluation of delaminated volume and through the maximal delaminated surface area - to find usefulness of both methods. Impact energies were kept low such that none of manufactured laminates were perforated. The impact testing and image analysis of delaminated zone has shown similar range of damage in low-weight cloth and continuous filament mat, contrasted to inferior performance of chopped strand mat and high-weight, loose-structure woven rovings. Relationship between coherence of structure and delaminated area reduction has been shown. Unexpected three-dimensional shape of delaminated volume that had been found was discussed. Moreover, two methods of delaminated zone evaluation in composites subjected to impact - by means of delaminated volume and by means of delaminated area - has been discussed, suggesting superiority of the latter.