Eccentric low-velocity impact on fiber-metal laminates under in-plane loading using unified zigzag theory

This paper investigates the eccentric low-velocity impact of Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) subjected to spherical projectile using a unified Zig-Zag plate theory. The presented zig-zag plate theory enforces transverse shear stress continuity through the thickness and can be reduced to conventional plate theories using appropriate shape function. The governing equations and suitable boundary conditions are obtained using the principle of minimum total potenital energy. Runge-Kutta method is employed to solve initial value problem resulted by the method of Ritz. The present model is validated by comparison and good agreement between its results and those of reports in open literature. Influence of various specifications of impact phenomenon such as laminate thickness, projectile radius, projectile velocity, in-plane load and eccentricity parameter is examined on deflection and contact force time history. The obtained results indicate that continuity of transverse shear stress is required to achieve accurate contact force even for moderately thin FMLs.