Impact Response of 3D Orthogonal Woven Composites with Different Fiber Types

The paper aims to study low-velocity impact behavior on the synergistic effect of intralaminar carbon/glass hybridization and three-dimensional (3D) orthogonal woven structure. A drop-testing machine is used for impact tests considering the effects of impact energy ranging from 23 J to 70 J. Nondestructive testing methods and a realistic yarn-level finite element model accounting for material damage are implemented to study structure deformation and stress evolution. Simulation results are compared with experimental measurements, which show a good correlation. The impact response of three configurations of 3D orthogonal woven composites (3DOWCs) is evaluated in terms of residual deformation, maximum displacement, maximum peak load and inelastic energy with different impact energy levels. The results show the intralaminar hybridizing carbon yarns with glass yarns with greater strain (about 22.78% more than the structure of pure carbon fibers) to failure benefits the toughness performance and energy absorption of the 3DOWCs, especially for the structure that glass fibers used as weft yarns. The stress in each layer travels along with the yarn axis due to the discontinuity between the same type of yarns. In contrast, the compressive stress along the thickness direction is transferred to the lower layer by the overlapping points, further resulting in stress along the yarn axis in the next layer. These findings are of guiding significance for the design of complex 3D fabrics.