High Speed Impact Testing of Thermoplastic Composite Plates

This paper presents the methodology and results for ballistic impact testing of thermoplastic composite materials. Ten different materials are investigated. The impact behavior of Aluminum 6082 is used as a reference to compare the results. The impact tests are performed with a gas cannon. Force - time, displacement - time as well as velocity data are recorded. Analytic suggestions for the calculation of the penetration speed of the materials are compared with measured results. It can be seen that it is possible to calculate the penetration speed within a certain percentage of the measured value. Also, the absorbed energies during the penetration process are compared. The results show that glass fiber composites have a better impact material behavior than carbon fiber-reinforced composites (CFRP). Thermoplastic matrix systems are a cheap option for composites but they do not have a significant better high speed impact and damage behavior than duroplastic resins.