Effects of Fiber Architectures on the Impact Resistance of Composite Laminates Under Low-Velocity Impact

This present work focuses on evaluating the impact resistance of five marine superstructure laminated structures according to the engineering application requirements, which provide insights into the impact failure behaviors of marine composite laminates and are expected to aid material selection for marine superstructures. Evaluations were performed at different loads (6.7 J/mm, 8.7 J/mm, and 10.7 J/mm) using drop-weight impact and compression after impact tests to assess the resistances of fiber-architecture laminates to low-velocity impacts: carbon fiber, glass fiber, polyethylene (PE) fiber, carbon/PE hybrid, and carbon/glass hybrid laminates. The responses and damages of all laminates were then examined through force-time curves, force-displacement curves, visual damage inspection, ultrasonic C-scans, micrographs, and compression strength tests. The experimental results reveal that the hybrid fiber laminates inherit the characteristics of single-type laminates, resulting in positive hybrid synergistic effects. The carbon and PE fiber mix enhances the ductility and impact energy absorption of the fibers, while the hybrid carbon and glass fiber mix improves fiber toughness, thereby exhibiting higher impact resistance and damage tolerance.