Prediction of Damage in Composite Cylinders After Impact

What is it about?

This paper presents the results from a study in two parts. The first part involves the identification and modeling of damage initiation and development in glass-reinforced epoxy composite cylinders subjected to drop weight impact. The second is concerned with the evaluation of the influence of this damage on the residual strength under hydrostatic pressure loading. Original results showing the influence of damage on implosion pressure are presented. The improved understanding of these phenomena and the development of predictive tools is part of an ongoing effort to improve the long-term integrity of composite structures for underwater applications.

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Why is it important?

This paper presents results from an ongoing project to study the damage tolerance of composite cylinders for underwater applications. Models have been developed to simulate the dynamic response of such cylinders, work is now concentrating on implementing the damage criteria in these models. Impact damage has been shown to reduce the residual implosion strength of glass/epoxy cylinders significantly. A 12-J impact reduces the implosion pressure by 40%. This provides a great incentive for the development of structures with improved damage tolerance.

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