STATIC AND IMPACT PROPERTIES OF LAMINATED HYBRID COMPOSITES.

The static and impact properties of hybrid composite systems containing various high performance fibers in an epoxy matrix have been studied as a function of lamination configuration. From instrumented impact test data, fracture initiation and propagation energies were calculated and reported in terms of a measurement called ″ductility index″ . It was shown that with a proper choice of lamination configuration, a large increase in impact energy as well as ductility index can be achieved in hybrid systems. Among other factors, the impact properties also depend on the type of fiber and interlaminar shear strength.