Falling weight impacted glass and basalt fibre woven composites inspected using non-destructive techniques

A limited number of comparative studies on falling weight impact properties of different composites exist, especially using non-destructive techniques (NDTs). In this work, two types of woven fabric composites, reinforced respectively with E-glass fibres and basalt fibres, were subjected to low velocity impact at different energies (7.5, 15 and 22.5 J). Comparative indications were offered by impact hysteresis cycles and the integration of data between different enhanced vision methods, namely interferometric and IR thermographic techniques. The integrated application of these techniques suggests that the increased directionality of impact damage observed in basalt fibre reinforced composites, though their impact performance appears to be slightly superior, may represent a limitation on the predictability of their behaviour.