Realising bio-inspired impact damage-tolerant thin-ply CFRP Bouligand structures via promoting diffused sub-critical helicoidal damage
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Mencattelli, Lorenzo
Pinho, Silvestre T
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In this work, we manufactured bio-inspired thin-ply Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) laminates, mimicking the helicoidal architecture of the mantis shrimp's dactyl club periodic region, with the smallest inter-ply (pitch) angle in the literature (2.5∘), thus better mimicking the actual micro-structure of the dactyl club. We conducted Low Velocity Impact (LVI) tests on a wide range of pitch angles (2.5∘, 5∘, 10∘, 20∘, 45∘), thus demonstrating that decreasing the pitch angle leads to a progressively smoother double helicoidal evolution of damage, reduces delamination areas, diffuses sub-critical damage, and enhances damage tolerance. We then conducted Compression After Impact (CAI) tests, thereby demonstrating that the residual strength and failure strain are preserved as the pitch angle is reduced, even though there is a steep decrease in the proportion of 0∘-plies (plies aligned with the loading direction) as the pitch angle decreases. Via detailed modelling, we then developed and proposed an explanation for why very small pitch angles are required to achieve the beneficial damage mechanisms exhibited by biological Bouligand structures.
Date Issued
2019-09-29
Date Acceptance
2019-06-11
Citation
Composites Science and Technology, 2019, 182 (1), pp.1-13
ISSN
0266-3538
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
13
Journal / Book Title
Composites Science and Technology
Volume
182
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Sponsor
European Research Council
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266353818319420
Subjects
09 Engineering
Materials
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
107684
Date Publish Online
2019-06-25