Recent advances in high-velocity impact perforation of fiber composite laminates

Abstract

In this paper, recent works on impact perforation of fiber composite laminates struck by foreign objects traveling at high speed have been reviewd. The review focuses on two major subjects in impact perforation research, i.e., an assessment of perforation characteristics and an understanding of the perforation process and its mechanisms. The target materials include glass, carbon, and aramid fiber-reinforced plastic composites, while the foreign objects consist of steel ball projectiles and cylindrical projectiles with a conical, hemispherical or flat tip. The ballistic limit velocity, residual velocity, and perforation energy obtained from the impact tests and predicted from the analytical and computer models are reviewed first. Then the perforation process and mechanisms are discussed based on the experimental observations and computer simulations. The present article provides state-of-the-art information in the rapidly developing field of impact perforation of fiber composite laminates, by referring mainly to literature published over the past decade.