Mechanical behaviour of glass and carbon fibre reinforced composites at varying strain rates

The choice of composite materials as a substitute for metallic materials in technological applications is becoming more pronounced especially due to the great weight savings these materials offer. In many of these practical situations, the structures are prone to high impact loads. Material and structural response vary significantly under impact loading conditions as compared to quasi-static loading. The strain rate sensitivity of both carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) are studied by testing a single laminate configuration, viz. cross-ply [0degrees/90degrees] polymer matrix composites (PMC) at strain rates of 10(-3) and 450 s(-1). The compressive material properties are determined by testing both laminate systems, viz. CFRP and GFRP at low to high strain rates. The laminates were fabricated from 48 layers of cross-ply carbon fibre and glass fibre epoxy. Dynamic test results were compared with static compression test carried out on specimens with the same dimensions. Preliminary compressive stress-strain vs. strain rates data obtained show that the dynamic material strength for GFRP increases with increasing strain rates. The strain to failure for both CFRP and GFRP is seen to decrease with increasing strain rate. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.