A multicriteria experimental analysis of impact on fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates

• A multicriteria-based experimental approach applied to impact optimization of FRPs.
• Kinking/brittle crack yielded high energy absorption in long-fiber laminates.
• Drop tower impact data correlated to post-impact bending and micro-tomography tests.
• Different fiber architectures resulted in conflicting impact performance measures.

The use of fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) is rapidly increasing in air, land, and marine manufacturing sectors. This is despite the fact that a universal methodology has not been yet developed to assist designers in selecting optimum reinforcing fiber architectures under different loading scenarios. The focus of the present article is to recommend a systematic approach for selecting the architecture of long-fiber fabric reinforcements in FRP composite structures under impact events. Namely, nine design criteria were selected and quantified for four types of PP/glass laminates through drop tower impact testing under 200 J energy, four-point flexural bending before and after impact, as well as microtomographic damage analysis of impacted samples. Subsequently, ranking of the candidate laminates was found using a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) technique to aid in selecting the overall best performing fiber reinforcement option under the presence of conflicting and inter-dependent design attributes.

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