Tuesday  |  Virtual Track 1  |  09:12 AM–09:24 AM

#11641, Effect of Equal Energy Impact on CFRP in Arctic Conditions

In this study, the impact response and damage mechanisms of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) under equal impact energy but different mass-velocity combinations are investigated. CFRP samples are also subjected to impact at room temperature (23ºC) and low temperature (-70ºC) conditions with the aim to understand composite behavior in cold Artic environment. Furthermore, this study explores the effect of ice formed on substrate surface, so as to elucidate the influence of surface ice on impact damage. Results show longer test duration for large mass impactor case, whereas smaller impact mass causes shorter impact duration. Moreover, different damage modes are detected by X-ray micro-computed tomography for different mass-velocity configurations. Initial oscillations from force-time curves indicate that low mass-high velocity cases create substantial surface damage. Specimens at -70ºC show less damage than samples at 23ºC due to enhanced stiffness at lower temperature. This study reveals that the presence of surface ice has negligible effect due to the brittleness of ice and small fracture energy compared to the CFRP substrate. This research provides understanding on the dynamic behavior of CFRPs when deployed in low temperature icy conditions.

Arnob Banik   The University of Akron
Kwek-Tze Tan   The University of Akron