Three-dimensional measurement of CFRP deformation during high-speed impact loading

The deformation of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) caused by projectile impact governs the absorption or dissipation of kinetic energy of the projectile. However, three-dimensional (3D) numerical information about the CFRP deformations caused by the projectile impact is not yet available. Therefore, a 3D measurement was conducted to evaluate the deformation process and deformation behavior of the CFRPs under high-velocity projectile impact, and to subsequently evaluate the performance of the CFRPs. CFRPs having two different stacking sequences were used as the specimens. For measuring the deformation, a high-speed stereovision system comprised of two high-speed video cameras was adopted. An SUJ-2 sphere projectile was impacted against a specimen plate using a light-gas accelerator at an impact velocity of approximately 175 m/s, and the deformation was recorded by synchronously capturing the images using this system. The captured images were converted to stereo images by a 3D correlation method. The stereo images clearly revealed numerical differences in the deformation of the CFRPs having different stacking sequences. The result accuracy of the 3D measurement was verified by comparing their results with the direct measurement results. Moreover, the stereo images corresponded to the results from a numerical simulation of the CFRP deformations, which both qualitatively and quantitatively confirms the validity of the simulation. This 3D measurement method is a powerful and useful tool for evaluating the performance of CFRPs during high-velocity projectile impact.