STRENGTH LOSS IN COMPOSITES FROM LATERAL CONTACT LOADS

Lateral impact of composites introduces a complicated loading into the structure, with both bending and contact loads present. In the present investigation, static contact loads were applied to a laminate supported so that the contact loads were introduced without bending effects. Thus the objective was to study the effects of the contact loads separately. It was found that the contact stiffness law observed previously by others also applied in the present case. Significant damage and loss of strength under subsequent in-plane tension loading was observed, with the most severe case corresponding to the strength reduction of a through hole. Finite element calculations of the contact loading could be correlated with the observed loss in strength. © 1990.