Analysis of impact response of composite laminates under prestress

An analytical solution for the impact response is obtained for the central impact of mass on a simply supported laminated composite plate under prestresses based on the Fourier series expansion and Laplace transform technique. A linearized version of the elastoplastic contact law proposed was used in the analytical formulation to consider permanent indentation during the impact. Permanent indentation including damage effects was included in the elastoplastic contact law. The effects of initial stresses on the contact force, plate center displacement, as well as strain time histories are presented. It is shown that higher initial stresses increase the maximum value of the contact force but reduce the plate central displacement. Effects of impactor velocity, mass, interlaminar shear strength of the laminates, and plate thickness on the contact force and dynamic response of the plate under tensile prestresses are also discussed.