The present study considers bi-component composites with a base laminate made of graphite/epoxy composite bonded to polycarbonate facing. Polycarbonate - an engineering thermoplastic being tough offers high impact resistance. The investigations were carried out on quasi-isotropic graphite/epoxy composites with polycarbonate facing under high velocity/ballistic loading with a gas gun setup using 30-cal sabot assisted projectiles. Three lay-ups of 16, 32 and 48-plies were used for graphite/epoxy laminates with three thicknesses (1, 3.175 and 4.3 mm) of polycarbonate sheet. The material configurations were designed such that the thicknesses of the two components were varied to achieve multiple areal densities. The objective was to determine the optimum polycarbonate to laminate thickness ratio and areal density to attain a specified level of protection at minimum weight. The ensuing damage was determined using ultrasonic C-scan technique in the pulse echo mode. To understand the damage mechanisms, a representative specimen was sectioned at the geometric center and studied under optical microscope. The results from the ballistic tests indicate that almost two to three times more energy is absorbed by using polycarbonate facing as compared to the laminate alone. A thickness ratio of 1.6 was determined to yield the optimal ballistic performance.
Ballistic response of graphite/epoxy composite backed polycarbonate plates
1999
12 Seiten, 6 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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