Low-velocity impact tests on carbon/epoxy composite laminates: A benchmark study

The analysis of test results relevant to the lowest energies pointed out that large contact force fluctuations, typically associated to delamination onset, occurred but ultrasonic scans did not reveal any significant internal damage. Due to these unexpected results, such tests were further investigated through a detailed FE model. The results of this investigation highlights the detrimental effects of the dissipative mechanisms of the impactor. A combined numerical-experimental approach is thus proposed to evaluate the effective impact energies.