Experimental and Numerical Study of Low-Velocity Impact Behavior of Woven Innegra Fiber Composite Plates

Abstract

Innegra fibers, which are based on Olefin material, provide very good mechanical properties if woven into a composite structure. These fibers are relatively new, and the composites made of them have been less investigated than fibers such as glass and carbon. In this research, the mechanical properties of Innegra composite specimens, which are manufactured by the vacuum injection process, are investigated experimentally. The experimental results are compared with the results of a micromechanical model, and a good matching is observed. Also, the behavior of these composites under low-velocity impact is experimentally and numerically evaluated. This evaluation includes various parameters such as maximum displacement, maximum force, absorbed energy, and return velocity. The influences of the number of layers and the shape of the impactor are also studied. The results show good agreement between the numerical analyses and the experimental tests.