Experimental investigation of normal and oblique impacts on CFRPs by high velocity steel sphere

In this work, in order to investigate the impact perforation behavior of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRPs), the ballistic impact tests were conducted on the CFRPs using a one-stage gas gun at impact angles of 0 degrees, 30 degrees and 45 degrees with the speeds varying from 70 to 280 m/s. A high speed camera was used to capture and record the experimental images and data during the impacting process. A simple energy model has been established to evaluate the effect of the impact angle and ballistic limit on the energy dissipated by laminate at velocity close to the ballistic limit. In addition, different failure patterns on the surface of CFRPs were observed under normal and oblique impact by in situ observation. Finally C-Scan and optical microscope were used to detect the delamination and damage beneath the impact point respectively. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.