Impact behaviour of GFRP and Kevlar/epoxy sandwich composite plate: Experimental and FE analyses

In this paper, dynamic response of GFRP composite plate under ballistic impact has been studied by experimental tests and also by an efficient FE model. Material characterization of GFRP composite is performed as required for progressive damage analysis of laminate due to impact. Shock effect of impact is considered in the material modeling of composite plate. The influence of the target thickness on the ballistic performance of the composite plate is also studied by considering 3.12, 6.24 and 9.36 mm thick targets. Moreover, sandwich composite plate consisting of GFRP and Kevlar/epoxy in three different combinations of laminate layers is considered to obtain suitable combination for structural application that offer better penetration resistance. Damage pattern, contact force histories and stresses in composite plate are studied in addition to residual velocity and acceleration of projectile. Numerical results from present FE model in terms of residual velocities and damage patterns in composite plate show good agreement with the experimental results.