Perforation tests of composite structure specimens at wide range of temperatures and strain rates-experimental analysis
Abstract
The analysis of the mechanical characteristics and dynamic behavior of fiberglass composite material structure used for perforation tests based on experimental results will be presented. This work is focused on perforation tests carried out at two ranges of temperatures (21 and 60 °C) and high strain rates. By using the specially designed thermal chamber to heat specimens before impact. Based on this experimental series, the ballistic properties of the material impacted by a conical nose shape projectile is studied. The complete energy balance is also reported and the absorbed energy by the composite sheet has been obtained by measuring initial and residual projectile velocities. A wide range of impact velocities from 40 to 123 m/s has been covered during the tests. The projectile has a diameter of 12 mm and the plate has 4 mm thickness. The main objective of this work is to study the behavior of the composite material specimens during the impact. To study the temperature effects, two different temperatures were used material, at room temperature and 60 °C. The time needed to heat the specimen and to stabilize its temperature is 15 min.