Carbon/glass hybrid composite laminates in vinylester resin: Bending and low velocity impact tests

Composite laminates with different stacking sequences of woven carbon and glass fibre layers in hybrid configurations were manufactured by vacuum resin infusion. The effect of stacking sequence and hybridisation on the flexural properties and impact damage mechanisms were widely studied. The performances were also studied to investigate the effect of the stacking sequence and the hybridisation in an attempt to compare the results from the literature on traditional composite laminates. Bending tests were carried out in three-point configuration, and the failure mechanism was investigated by visual inspection. Impact tests were carried out at penetration and different energy values to study the impact behaviour by evaluating the external and internal damage evolution. At this scope, indentation measurements were carried out by a confocal microscope, whereas the UltraSound technique investigated the delamination. The data obtained from the different configurations were compared at the aim to individuate the best one. The results were then compared with traditional composite laminates to highlight the advantages of the hybridisation. A strong relevance of the stacking sequence in the design to meet specific requirements was observed in both impact and flexural behaviour.