Experimental and Numerical Study of Low-Velocity Impact and Tensile after Impact for CFRP Laminates Single-Lap Joints Adhesively Bonded Structure

Abstract

To investigate the mechanical behavior of the single-lap joints (SLJs) adhesively bonded structure of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates under the low-velocity impact (LVI) and tensile-after impact (TAI), tests and simulations were carried out. A finite element model (FEM) was established based on the cohesive zone model (CZM) and Hashin criterion to predict the damage evolution process of adhesive film, intra- and inter-laminar of the SLJs of CFRP laminates, and its effectiveness was verified by experiments. Moreover, three different overlap lengths (20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm) and four different impact energies (Intact joint, 10 J, 20 J, and 30 J) are considered in the present study. Finally, the effects of different impact energies and overlap lengths on the residual strength of SLJs after impact were discussed. The results divulged that numerical results of impact and TAI processes of SLJs were in good agreement with experiment results. During the impact process, the damage of the laminates was primarily fiber and matrix tensile damage, whereas the adhesive film was damaged cohesively; the areas of damage increased with the increase of impact energy, and the normal stress of the adhesive film expanded from the edge to the middle region with the increase of impact force. The influence of LVI on SLJs adhesively bonded structures was very significant, and it is not effective to obtain a higher impact resistance by increasing the overlap length. For the tensile process, the failure mode of TAI of the SLJs was interface failure, the surplus strength of the SLJs gradually decreased with the increase of the impact energy because of the smaller overlap length, the overlap length more than 30 mm, and the low energy impact has almost no effect on the residual strength of the SLJs.