Compression performance of composite plates after multi-site impacts: a combined experimental and finite element study

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the damage tolerance of carbon fibre reinforced polymer plates, used in aircraft fuselage, subjected to multi-site impacts. A new fixture was designed to perform sequential low-velocity impacts at different locations on plates with two different thicknesses, representing upper and lower fuselage panels. The residual strength in compression was measured using a new compression-after-impact rig designed to prevent global buckling of thin plates. Experimental results indicated that compared to single impacts, multi-site impacts can reduce the residual strength of the thin plates, but not the thick plates. To explain this difference, a detailed finite element model was developed, which enabled modelling of multi-site impacts and compression after impact in one simulation. Simulations suggested that the second impact damage changes the buckled shape prior to failure for the thin plates. A parametric analysis on key material parameters showed that they have a small effect on the residual compressive strength. This work can help to improve the design of aircraft panels with respect to threats posed by multi-site impacts.