Scaling of impact on glass-polyester laminated plates

A dimensional analysis approach was used to develop scaling laws for impact on marine composite materials. An experimental study was performed to verify these relationships for the transverse impact of a hemispherical ended impactor on fully-clamped circular hand laid-up glass-polyester plates at three different scales. A simplified model, assuming a homogenous and isotropic material, scaled the impact responses very well for the elastic response. However, 'size effects' were observed, especially for the damaged response, but further work is required to fully explain the mechanisms behind these effects.