Sensitivity of woven textile sandwich panel faces to Charpy impact properties

This research work is motivated by the increased demand for high impact strength and light-weight materials for many industrial applications, including aerospace and automobiles. Impact properties of 5-harness satin-weave carbon/cyanate ester polymeric prepreg sandwich structures has not been addressed adequately, though it is ideal for many space applications subjected to high temperatures. The impact behaviour of textile sandwich panels and their damage resistance were investigated experimentally using the Charpy test under high impact energy. This includes the sample orientations and its tested face to the impact direction. The results indicated that the sample orientations and its face to the impact direction has a significant effect on impact properties and observed damage modes. The selection of textile sandwich composite panel with higher impact resistance is an effective way of improving its applicability in many potential sectors.