Impact, penetration, and perforation of a bonded carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic composite panel by a high-velocity steel sphere: an experimental study

In this work, the response of a bonded carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic composite panel, which had been manufactured by bonding two laminates together, to impact, penetration, and perforation by a high-velocity steel sphere has been studied. The response of a relatively thick (about 12 mm) laminate has been compared with similar data from previous work by Hazell et al. where relatively thin monolithic laminates were impacted by the same type of projectile. It was found that the ballistic performance of the system was increased over the impact energy range of interest when compared with these similar, relatively thin composite laminates. Furthermore, both the energy absorbed per unit thickness of laminate and the level of damage as measured by a C-Scan system when the panels were perforated at normal incidence and oblique incidence were similar. This raises the prospect of reducing experimental testing at oblique angles, if the behaviour at normal incidence is known.