Impact behaviour of pultruded GFRP composites under low-velocity impact loading

This study reports on the results of an experimental investigation on the impact behaviour of pultruded composites samples subjected to low-velocity impacts with higher impact energies ranging from 16.75 to 67 J. The specimens were placed and supported according to the requirement of ASTM 7136 standard. The results of impact characteristics and performance are demonstrated and compared for different impact energy levels. The damage evaluation is also introduced to compare the failure modes of pultruded composites subjected to different energy levels. The development and propagation of stress during the low velocity impacts are analysed using the finite element method. The numerical predictions were found to corroborate the experimental results in terms of load-time and central deflection-time curves. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.